


A Newly Crowned King

by GrunnyJ



Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Original Character(s), Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:54:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23462008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrunnyJ/pseuds/GrunnyJ
Summary: A fun, fluff centered story following my Dungeons and Dragons character, Ramesses, a Tiefling courtesan turned adventurer with literal golden skin. It follows what happens when his boyfriend, Kicha, is crowned king of their city and all the shenanigans that come with having a crown.
Relationships: Original Dungeons & Dragons Character(s) & Original Dungeons & Dragons Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I've finally gathered up the courage to post something I've written online. Be gentle all. I'm squishy and love these characters far too much. Lol Regardless, I will accept any and all feeback so lemme know!

**Chapter One:**

“Remind me where we’re going again?” Jhro asked the party.

The whole group, all six of them, were piled into a wagon that was being pulled down a bumpy road by two overly excited horses. It was midday with the hot sun beating down on them without a cloud in sight.

“Ori needs to return to Rheteah now that her brother is no longer a threat. The council has no one else they wish to promote to the throne, so it has been acting monarchs since she left,” Kicha replied.

“Wait, you’re going to be Queen? So you’re like a princess?” Sarah asked from the front of the wagon. Vrae and her were manning the horses as best they could while everyone else rode in the back.

“I’m not technically a princess, but yeah, they want me to be the Queen,” Oriana said.

“You don’t sound so certain,” Ramesses said from where he was resting with his head in Kicha’s lap. He hadn’t stopped touching the man since they had been reunited. Almost like he was afraid he would vanish the moment they broke contact.  
Oriana shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t just leave because of my brother. I don’t really want to be in charge. Running around with you guys is much more fun.”

“And you get to spend more time with Greccus,” Vrae said over her shoulder, teasing.

“Yeah…” Oriana said with a nasty grin and a laugh.

The wagon lurched to the side as one of the horses steered them over a particularly large rock. Everyone was jostled around and laughing until the conversation resumed.

“If you don’t want to rule then why are we even going?” Jhro asked.

“Because she has to. There’s no one else to wear the crown. Whether she wants it or not doesn’t matter,” Kicha answered.

The cart went silent after that.

“Well, who says she has to keep the crown? The council elects a ruler right? Oriana can just nominate someone else,” Ramesses said, breaking the silence.

“Who could she possibly know well enough to hand the crown over to?”

“You,” Ramesses said looking up at Kicha.

His newly reunited boyfriend looked down at him like he was crazy.

“You’re joking,” he said.

Ramesses shook his head, which was a little awkward with his head in the other man’s lap. The slight blush that crept up Kicha’s face was worth it though. He knew his idea was a bit out there, but he was dead serious. Kicha was a vastly different person than he was when they had first met. Back then he might not have made the best ruler, but he wasn’t that bad of an option now.

“No, I’m serious. You’re the best person for the job if she doesn’t want it. You’re family for one thing. It’s very obvious it’s something you’ve wanted and you’ve earned everyone’s trust by helping us take down the crazy psycho that was Kilichar.”

“After following him in the first place…” Jhro muttered.

“That’s not important. What matters is Oriana doesn’t want the crown and we have a perfectly fine replacement right here. This way she can leave her city in good hands and still go adventuring with her friends. It’s a win-win.”

Kicha immediately started protesting the validity of the argument, but Ramesses wasn’t listening to him. He’d gotten up out of the other man’s lap at some point during the conversation and was now focusing on Oriana. Their friend was looking off in the distance with an intense look on her face. It was clear she was finding Ramesses’s argument very persuasive. She didn’t want the crown, she wanted to spend time with her friends and now she had a very real and very plausible exit strategy that helped alleviate some of the guilt.

Ramesses pushed a finger to Kicha’s lips, silencing him just as Oriana turned back to the party.

“I’ll do it,” she said.

“Do what?” Sarah asked over her shoulder.

“I’ll pass on the crown to Kicha. They’ll still have to vote him in, but I can probably talk them into it. Ramesses is right. If you get the crown then I get to keep doing what I’m doing without worrying about my home falling into chaos. It all sounds good to me.”  
Kicha looked back and forth between his cousin and his boyfriend, disbelief written all over his face. Ramesses had taken his finger back, but the man was still in a stunned silence.

“You two seriously want me to be king?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” Ramesses asked.

“From you two? No. But I find it hard to believe that the council will agree to vote me in,” Kicha said.

Oriana wrapped her arm around her cousin and pulled him in for a side hug. Her smile was both genuine and a bit mischievous. It was comforting and also sent a shiver down his spine. His cousin was downright devious when she wanted to be.  
“Leave that to me.”

* * *

  
Ramesses, Oriana, and Kicha stood outside the grand palace of Rheteah. The building was massive. Spires and domes reaching up towards the sky with plants surrounding the whole thing giving off the illusion that the palace was emerging from nature itself. A handful of guards stood at the main entrance, a wide stone archway painted in jeweled tones with tiny baubles hanging in the wind. Ramesses had never been inside, but if the interior looked anything like the exterior then it had to be breathtaking.

The rest of the party was out exploring the city, leaving these three to the task of appointing Kicha as king. Well, two people, as Ramesses wasn’t allowed to be in the council room. Members of the wealthy class were milling about, stealing glances in their direction. It wasn’t clear if they recognized two members of their class or were just nosy. The guards weren’t paying them much attention, but that was probably because they weren’t very threatening at the moment.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright out here by yourself?” Kicha asked Ramesses. Now that they were in the city they had stopped touching one another. Kicha still wasn’t comfortable displaying his affection for the man out in the open within his home city.

“I will be fine,” Ramesses replied. “I’ve got some errands to take care of nearby. You just focus on being your charming self for the council.”

His love didn’t look very encouraged. It took all of Ramesses’s self-control to not give him a kiss of encouragement and hold his hands. He’d been glued to the man for several weeks and was already feeling the withdrawal from not being able to properly display how much he loved him.

“We’ve got this. Come on, Kicha,” Oriana said and led Kicha into the palace with her.

As soon as they walked into the palace the news that Oriana had returned spread like wildfire. The two of them were rushed into a private hall and bombarded with all kinds of questions. They answered as well as they could for what felt like hours as all thirty members of the ruling families were summoned and gathered within the council chambers. Oriana dodged all questions about her future ascent to the throne and insisted Kicha be present for the larger council meeting.

They were ushered into the large council chamber once the questioning had finished and all the families had been gathered. Thirty members sat behind a long circular raised platform that wrapped around the whole room, making the looming figures all the more intimidating.

Kicha took a deep breath and did his best to appear confident and charming at the same time. It was easier said than done and he found himself wishing Ramesses was here. Even just being able to see him in the room would have done a world of help. His presence alone never failed to make him relax.

Council Member Younrul cleared his throat to draw everyone’s attention and the room grew silent.

“Oriana, current heir apparent, please step forward.”

Oriana did as instructed, stepping up onto a smaller raised platform so she was at eye level with the rest of the room. Kicha stayed where he was trying not to look awkward.

“After learning about what truly transpired between the members of your family and the lengths you have gone to help the world at large with your companions, we have agreed that it would be an honor to have a hero such as yourself on the throne. It would bolster the opinion of the crown for the people and perhaps inspire more to follow in your footsteps. Don’t you agree?” he said.

Kicha watched Oriana take a deep breath, turn to him, and then back to the thirty people surrounding them. It was now or never.

“I agree, all of those things are great and everything, but I’ve decided to decline the invitation to the throne.”

The room was plunged into silence so thick you could hear a pin drop from the room next door.

“Being Queen would be an honor, but I think it’s obvious from my adventuring that my talents are better lent to being out in the world fighting evil. And that’s not something I can do by sitting in a big chair. So if you would allow me I would like to nominate someone else to the position.”

The council member in charge, Younrul, managed to find his voice at last. “You’re declining the throne? You have gathered us all here to tell us you don’t want to be ruler?”

“Think of it this way. Everyone here values my opinion enough to want to vote me in as the ruler of everyone here, right?”

There were some nods and murmurs of agreement.

“So it’s safe to assume I know myself well enough and have put a lot of thought into this decision, right?”

Again, more nods and signs of agreement.

“I trust the person I have in mind that they will be a fine ruler and take care of the city. The fact that I’m willing to give up my current claim to the throne so this person can ascend should be proof enough that they are good for the job,” Oriana said.

“My dear, you haven’t even told us who you plan to nominate,” said Geri, a kindly looking older member of the council.

“I nominate my cousin, Kicha Briarwood, to be the next King of Rheteah,” she said and held her hand out, gesturing for him to step forward.

As Kicha climbed up the steps to join Oriana on the platform the room erupted into yelling and every kind of argument he expected from this.

“He’s not fit for the crown!”

“That one that was always following that devil, Kilichar, around?!”

“He hardly ever attended meetings when requested!”

And dozens of other comments of the like. He was a little surprised to see that not everyone was outraged by the idea. About a third of the families looked won over by Oriana’s speech. But that still wasn’t enough for the vote to go through. He needed the majority of the people on his side if this was going to work.

Not that he could blame them for disliking him so much. They made some fair points. He’d followed Kilichar around like a dog even when he knew better. He had known the man had orchestrated Ramesses’s kidnapping and still hadn’t raised a hand against him after bringing his boyfriend home. Even when they went after Ori, Kicha had gone along more so out of fear for himself than anyone else. All these people saw him as was a coward with no spine to stand on.

How were they to know he skipped those meetings because he would rather spend that time with someone he loved-- even before he realized it himself. How would they know it made him sick to his stomach to help Kilichar when they were on the road. Practically helpless to say anything against him for fear of being left for dead in a ditch. All of his good deeds were done in secret with little to no proof that he was the one behind them.

This whole idea that they would have him as king was never going to work.

Oriana cleared her throat a few times to get everyone’s attention. “Are you done arguing?” she asked. Though it sounded more like a statement than a question from her tone.

“You can’t obviously believe he would make a good king?” a random member of the council asked, pointing a finger in his direction.

“I’m entirely serious. If I’m not the one on the throne then the only person I know I can trust not to burn the place down is Kicha,” she said.

The man opened his mouth to argue some more, but before he got the chance Kicha put a hand on Oriana’s shoulder and spoke to her, rather than the whole room.

“Just let it go, Ori. It was worth a shot, but they don’t want me in charge. It’s my fault they dislike me so much. Let them come up with their own candidate,” he said and started making his way off the platform. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. Ramesses had sounded so sure about it that it was hard not to get his hopes up. Hopefully, his love would still be proud of him for trying.

“I wouldn’t say these loudmouths dislike you, Kicha. They just don’t know the real you, it would seem,” Geri said, his voice, cutting into the room.

Kicha turned and saw the old tiefling smiling at him and holding a thick stack of paper in one hand.

“I was given quite the statement before being summoned here. A lovely young man stopped by my house specifically to deliver this. He said something about me needing to read it straight away and it would help me come to a more thought out decision in the coming hours. Now I didn’t know what he meant by all that until Ms. Oriana declined our offer, but now it is quite clear. The only problem is the others don’t have the same knowledge I do. Do you think you can help with that?”

Ramesses. That was the only explanation.

_Errands to run nearby my tail._ Kicha thought to himself. He didn’t know whether to be proud of the man weaseling his own way into this meeting or worried about what was in the letters the old man had read.

“I’m not sure what’s written there, but I can do my best to enlighten everyone here,” he said finally.

Geri nodded. “All you have to do is answer me with honesty and heart and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

_Lovely…_ Honesty he could do. Especially with all of this riding on him telling the truth, but heart? That was not something that came naturally to him. He was still keeping his relationship with Ramesses in the dark in this city. That wasn’t honest or done with heart.

“Feel free to elaborate as little or as much as you are comfortable with. Now, of your family, who are you most comfortable being yourself around?” Geri asked.

“Ori,” Kicha answered without missing a beat. Sure, he had spent more time with her brother growing up, but she was always nicer to him. She never tried to make him feel like he had to be something he wasn’t or make him look foolish. They had never fought. And when she had found out about his relationship with Ramesses she had promised to cover for them and damn near became best friends with his golden boy.

“So it’s safe to say she has seen a different side to you than we have, correct?”

“Without question. I...I haven’t always been the best person, but I’ve always been better with Ori around.”

“And if she leaves you alone with a crown how can we guarantee your old habits won’t return?”

The first thing that came to mind was that there was no way his old habits would come back as long as Ramesses was in his life. That golden tiefling was the best thing that ever happened to him and he wasn’t going to give that up to be an arrogant asshole again. A normal asshole was fine. It was the arrogance that always pissed people off.

But he didn’t know if Ramesses wrote about their relationship in those letters and didn’t want to out them if it wasn’t.

“I’m keeping better company now. There are people in the city that I trust to call me out on my faults and encourage kinder behavior. I would keep them close to me as King in order to hold myself accountable,” he paused. “I don’t want to let them down.”

“When you fled the city with Kilichar, what drove that decision?”

Several of the other council members leaned in to better hear the answer to this question. They had all been hanging on his every word, but now they were even more curious. If there ever was a time to answer with honesty and heart, it was now.

Kicha sighed. “Fear. You all know what he was capable of and I had a front-row seat to most of it whether I wanted it or not. I was afraid of what he would do to me or my loved ones if I refused and I was afraid of what would happen to Ori if I wasn’t there. I wouldn’t be able to stand up to him alone, but with her there, I knew it would be easier. Not going with him would have been a death sentence for both of us.”

The room was silent as he finished his speech. He wasn’t sure how charming he was, but he’d definitely answered with all the honesty and heart he could muster at the time.

“Last question, young man. Why should you be king?” Geri asked.

A loaded question. He just hoped he didn’t mess it up.

“Because I love this city and my cousin too much to fail. It’s clear Ori is the better option, but she’s not available for it. If she’s willing to throw her reputation behind my reign then I’m not going to squander that by not taking this seriously. And if that’s not enough to convince all of you then I understand and I will accept your decision.”

The old man was smiling at him like he’d said the exact right thing.

“Well, you’ve earned my vote. Shall we put it to the room?” he said and looked over at the other council members.

One by one each of them gave a yeah or neigh. The majority won, but everyone got a say even if the majority was already reached.

Kicha counted each one silently as they went around the room. He felt Oriana’s hand on his shoulder as the sixteenth person voted yes. He turned to her mouth half open and eyes a little too wide.

“Is this seriously happening?” he whispered to her in awe.

Oriana just smiled and gave him a playful shove. “I told you there was nothing to worry about. Long live the King.”

Kicha laughed, stress from this meeting melting away in an instant.

“That is going to take some getting used to.”

The final vote ended up being a 25:5 split, with the majority being for him to be named king. It probably wasn’t wise, but he made direct eye contact with each of the families that voted against him. He knew this city and how its government worked. They could be trouble if he didn’t keep an eye on them.

Oriana left him to be swarmed by a handful of attendants. At most, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and the promise to send Ramesses in after him before running off with a laugh. He would have cursed her if his attention wasn’t being demanded by advisors and the like hurrying to get their new king ready for a coronation. From what he could gather they wanted a proper monarch as soon as possible.

What had he just agreed to?


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Kicha is going to be King, he's got to take some important steps in his relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seeing as I've already gotten a few chapters written I might as well post them all at once. What else am I gonna do in quarantine?

**Chapter Two:**

Ramesses was escorted through the palace by a messenger and two guards. He’d been pacing outside waiting for any news on what was going on inside when Oriana emerged with a huge smile on her face and the three tagalongs. Before he could even ask her if everything went well she had scooped him up in a hug saying that it had worked. Kicha would be King and Ramesses was to be escorted to where he was. Apparently the new future king had been spirited away as soon as the vote was finished. Oriana had run off after that, leaving Ramesses with the guards and messenger.

He knew he looked foolish as he followed them into the palace. He was looking around like a mad man, head turning this way and that as he tried to take in all that he could on the journey. Ramesses wasn’t sure if he would be able to come back here anytime soon. The chances were good now that Kicha would be in charge, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up just in case.

The center of the hall was carpeted with stone flooring on each side. There were more arches than physical doors giving a more open feeling to the place. Tall, curling plants climbed the walls and rested in pots in corners. At one point he even watched a bird fly in from outside and settle in a nest on one of the high arches.

_ I love this place, _ he thought.

The guards stopped outside a closed door at the end of the hall. The messenger stepped forward and knocked once before opening the door and holding it for Ramesses. They both walked inside and the guards closed the door behind them.

Ramesses bit his cheek to keep from laughing at the sight in front of him. The scene was a mix of chaos and frustration. Kicha was standing on a raised platform while two seamstresses buzzed around him with measuring tape and pins. It seemed the King was getting a royal fitting. And judging by the look on his face, it was not a pleasant experience.

Ramesses would have been content to stand on the sidelines and watch the madness unfold, but the messenger had other plans. The man stepped forward again and cleared his throat before announcing him.

“The one you requested is here, your majesty,” the messenger said and with a bow left the room.

Kicha turned so abruptly that one of the seamstresses nearly lost her balance, but managed to catch herself at the last second. He didn’t seem to notice though, his full attention was on Ramesses. He looked a bit embarrassed by the whole situation but was hiding it well. The only reason Ramesses even noticed was that he was looking for it. The slight frown and occasional twitch of his tail were enough of a tell to let him know how strange Kicha found this situation.

“Am I interrupting,  _ Your Majesty _ ? I can always come back when you’re done,” Ramesses teased. His eyes were shining with suppressed laughter and he had a huge grin on his face.

Kicha ignored the teasing, but Ramesses noticed the tension in his shoulders ease just a bit as he stepped off the platform. The two women tried to protest, but Kicha just ignored them.

“You are far sneakier than I have ever given you credit for,” Kicha said as he approached. His own grin spreading across his face. “What exactly were those errands you needed to run earlier?”

Ramesses laughed. “Oh, nothing too important. I just needed to get some paper and a new quill. Writing letters to Ail’mer constantly has drained my supplies. Then I stopped by a friend of a friend and delivered a package. It was all small stuff I promise.”

Kicha raised an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms. The movement caused some pins to fall out of place and clatter to the floor.

“Well, however small you think it was, whatever you wrote in those letters managed to win over most of the room. Ori had only convinced about a third of them that I would make a good king.  _ You _ on the other hand turned the vote without even being present. The final count was twenty-five to five.”

Ramesses’s eyebrows rose. He’d expected the letters he gave Geri to help a little bit, but to win over fifteen people without even being there was a shock even to him.

“I’m sure it wasn’t just my words that won them over. I merely gave Geri the tools. You had to finish the job,” he said.

Kicha shook his head and looked at Ramesses with a sad smile.

“No. All the credit should go to you. And I mean  _ all _ the credit. If I had never met you I wouldn’t have found the courage to change my behavior. You are the one that found Ori before us and made sure she was safe. You are the one that thought of the plan to put me on the throne and allow Ori to continue adventuring. And it is _because_ of you that the whole idea worked in the first place. You have done so much in consideration to my feelings and help me get what I want and here I am not putting forth the same effort to you.”

“What do you mean?” Ramesses asked in confusion.

Kicha took a step forward and grabbed Ramesses’s hands, holding them up between the two of them.

Ramesses’s eyes widened and his breath hitched. This wasn’t the first time they had held hands, but it was always in private or when they were on the road traveling. Kicha never initiated contact in public. Ramesses was his best-kept secret for a reason. They weren’t sure what their relationship would do to Kicha’s reputation, so they kept it hidden. It wasn’t something that made him happy, but he was willing to put up with it for Kicha’s sake.

_ What is he doing? _

“It’s not fair to you that even something as simple as holding hands in a room with other people is a shock to you. You have been doing everything in your power to keep me happy and here I am hiding you behind closed doors and under bedsheets,” he said.

“Isn’t the reputation of a king more important than that of an average nobleman?” Ramesses asked.

He wasn’t trying to talk Kicha out of whatever he was doing. Ramesses just wanted to make sure he had put enough thought into this decision. The last thing he wanted was for Kicha to regret their relationship-- even for a little while.

“It is. And I want that reputation to be built on honesty and heart. For the most part anyway. I can’t tell the people everything all the time. But I  _ can _ tell them about you--especially since it would be very obvious what our relationship is when you move in and I name you the royal consort.”

“Move in...royal...consort. Wha-” Ramesses stammered out, stunned. Kicha had effectively rendered him silent and this time he did it without them having to take any clothes off.

Kicha laughed at the stunned expression on his face. He’d never looked so lost before and it had to look hilarious.

“Do you need to sit down?” he teased.

Ramesses just looked at him and nodded. He was led over to a small couch against the nearby wall and the two of them took a seat. The two seamstresses were still in the room, but they were busying themselves with other work at the moment. Giving the two lovebirds some artificial privacy.

They were still holding hands. Ramesses idly started rubbing his thumbs along the back of Kicha’s hands. It was usually something he did when he was nervous, but right now it was helping to put his thoughts in order. Right now his head was reeling. He hadn’t been sure what would have happened to their relationship if Kicha was named king, but Ramesses hadn’t expected it to turn out like this.

“Alright, one thing at a time,” Ramesses said and finally looked up at Kicha so they locked eyes. “What exactly does being a royal consort mean?”

“In the common vernacular it basically means you are the ruling monarchs lover. It doesn’t grant you anything other than influence over me, which you already have. However, people will listen to you and do what you say because of your relationship with me. Oh, and you’ll have some access to the royal vault as spending money.”

Ramesses nodded slowly and took a deep breath to try and slow down his beating heart. It felt like a hummingbird was flying around in his chest.

“That doesn’t sound all that different from my current position,” he smiled. “I think I can accept this proposal.”

Kicha grinned and nodded. “I expected as much.”

“Now about moving into the palace?”

“Well, what kind of consort would you be if you didn’t live here? I find a cold bed just as uncomfortable as you do and a Venetian King sized mattress is made for more than one person after all.”

Ramesses's eyes widened again. When he had said he wanted him to move in he hadn’t thought it meant into the royal chambers. He had expected a nice room nearby, not something together. The two of them had never stayed in such close quarters before. The thought of it made his heart speed up again and a grin to spread across his face.

His answer was a resounding yes, but instead of verbalizing it, Ramesses released Kicha’s hands and brought them up to cup his face and kissed him. The two of them immediately leaned into the kiss, not caring about the other two people in the room. Still, the kiss was soft and sweet, and everything they needed at the moment. When they finally broke apart both of their faces were pink with blush and eyes bright with excitement.

“I take it you approve of that as well?” Kicha asked.

“Absolutely,” Ramesses replied. “Was there anything else you wanted to tell me or should I leave you to be tailored? I feel bad for keeping these ladies from doing their jobs.”

At this point the older seamstress spoke up. She had curly brown hair tied back in a low hanging bun, soft brown eyes, and a dark complexion covered in freckles. Her dark purple dress was simple to keep from getting caught in the rest of her work. The woman was smiling lightly at them when she spoke.

“Don’t worry about it. Nobles are easily distracted so we’re used to it. It is rare to see a higher class couple together for something other than money and power. It will be a nice break from the norm around here,” she said.

Ramesses turned to Kicha and gave him a look that was halfway between an ‘I told you so’ and ‘everybody loves me.’ The other man just shook his head in resignation and rolled his eyes.

“The only other thing I need from you at the moment is to write to Ail’mer on my behalf. I want to name him my Master of Trade. I know he can be trusted and it will keep him nearby for you,” he said.

“I get to keep you both?” Ramesses asked, his face alight with happiness.

“You get to keep us both,” Kicha nodded. “It’s a fitting punishment for myself for leaving you like that in the first place.”

That comment made Ramesses practically giddy in his seat. He had been worried when he had first told Kicha about everything that had gone on with Ail’mer. It wasn’t easy to hear about your “it’s complicated” boyfriend and his new lover that only got together because you left one via letter to go off and make bad decisions. Kicha had taken the news in stride though, only freaking out about it just a little bit. He didn’t blame either of them for getting together and could see how much both of them meant to Ramesses. That much was evident from his offer right now.

He leaned forward and kissed Kicha on the lips again before jumping up off the couch in a happy burst. “You’re the best! Thank you so much! I’ll let him know right away and then stop by my mother’s to tell them the good news and get some of my things.”

Kicha nodded. “Be sure to invite Hillie and your mother to the coronation tomorrow.”

Ramesses was already halfway out the door as he called back. “Will do! Have fun with the fitting!”

He could hear the seamstresses laughing as he hurried down the hall and out of the palace. A stablehand tried to offer him a horse to make the walk go by faster but he politely declined. A royal horse at the post master’s wouldn’t be too out of place, but there was no way he would bring one near his home. It wouldn’t do well for business.

It didn’t take long for Ramesses to write a quick letter to Ail’mer asking him to return to Rheteah as soon as possible. There wasn’t an emergency, but if he could report to the palace and ask for Ramesses when he got here it would be lovely. Once it was signed and sent off, Ramesses headed straight to Zahre’s.

The house looked just like he had left it. Three stories high painted a beautiful pearly white with light gray accents, the building managed to look impressive and welcoming all at the same time. The various rose bushes planted outside were slowly blooming. A few buds here and there. It was beautiful and warmed his heart just to see it.

Given the time of day, the front door was unlocked, but Kyron their guard was standing in clear view once the door was opened. The half-orc looked up in surprise as Ramesses walked in. He grinned though and the two of them hugged in greeting.

“It is good to see you back. How is the search going?” the guard asked.

“Done and successful. I can fill you in on the details later. Where’s Zahre?”

“In the back room. She’ll be happy to see you.”

Ramesses thanked him and went down the hall. The extended hallway that led to the business portion of the building was lit by candlelight and torches on the walls. It was empty, but the next room was far from it.

Several tables were filled with clients and courtesans alike. Their cook was serving up dishes and drinks at the bar table and Zahre was standing off to the side deep in conversation with a man he had never seen before. Her dark hair was piled high on her head in a loose bun, horns curling to the back of her head, and she was wearing an intricate black dress with tiny red stones along the neckline and sleeves. The color was a perfect compliment to her deep red skin tone.  


The man was human from what Ramesses could tell; well dressed, calm demeanor, and wasn’t holding himself in a way that suggested he was an arrogant prick. Not wanting to interrupt what was probably an important business conversation, Ramesses hung back until the man left. Once he was gone, he quietly walked up to Zahre.

“Surprise,” he said happily.

Zahre’s response was immediate. She turned around, a wide grin on her face, and pulled Ramesses in for a hug. He let her and returned the embrace just as tightly.

“Oh, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you. When did you get back? What has happened? I haven’t heard from you in weeks, my jewel,”Zahre said, her face buried in his hair and neck.

Ramesses laughed and pulled away from the bear hug his mother was giving him.

“We just got back this morning and I have big news to tell you. Where’s Hillie?”

“She stepped out to run something to Taylore’s so she will be back soon. Come,” Zahre said and led Ramesses down the side hall to her bedroom. She called over her shoulder to the cook to send Hillie in as soon as she got back, and then closed the door behind them.

Zahre’s room was just as Ramesses remembered it. Golden decor all over the place. A large bed in the center with white and gold designs. A vanity next to the door with makeup neatly arranged and a dining table pushed against the far wall that functioned as a buffet table when needed. Zahre walked into the room and took a seat in one of the plush armchairs, gesturing for Ramesses to have a seat in the other.

He sat, relishing the feel of the soft cushion after days of traveling on the road. “There is so much I need to tell you, but I also don’t want to repeat all of it whenever Hillie gets here,” he said, eyes closed and practically melting into the chair.

“Well, what can you tell me that you don’t mind repeating?” Zahre asked with a questioning smile on her face.

What didn’t he mind going over again? He thought about it for a moment. There was a lot he could go over and he didn’t know how soon Hillie would be back. He could be halfway through a long story when she arrived if he wasn’t careful. Finally, he settled on telling Zahre about how they found Kicha, fought with Kilichar and sent the man packing five feet under. He had just finished describing how shocked Kicha had been seeing him fight when Hillie burst into the room.

“You’re back!” she exclaimed and tackled Ramesses into a hug and deeper into the chair.

The hug was just as tight and full of love as Zahre’s. They laughed and detangled themselves from one another after a second. His adopted family now all together and ready for the exciting news to come.

“Hillie is here. Now, what is this news you didn’t want to repeat? If it is anything as exciting as your tales of adventure then I am dying to know what it is,” Zahre said.

His sister got up and took a seat on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and clutched it to her chest. “News? I thought we were just celebrating you finally being home again.”

Ramesses shook his head. “I’ve got a lot to tell you two. You remember my friend Oriana, Kicha’s cousin?”

Both of the women nodded in response.

“They want her as Queen last I heard,” Hillie said.

“As it turns out, she didn’t want the crown, so I may have persuaded her to petition for her claim to be passed down to Kicha. And seeing as that would leave the city in good hands and herself free to adventure until her heart’s content, she readily agreed with me,” Ramesses said.

His mother and sister blinked at him in surprise until Zahre finally broke the silence. “You’re telling me they are debating on giving your boy the crown as we speak?”

He shook his head, unable to keep the idiotic smile off his face. “They’ve already voted him in. Ori convinced about a third of the room and I got everyone else minus a few without even being there.”

“Wha- How?” Hillie asked.

“While the two of them were rushed into the palace for questioning about everything that went on with Kilichar, I wrote and brought a few letters to Geri. I just gave him a little insight on the situation and the real Kicha and let him handle the rest. It was much more effective than I anticipated, but I’m thankful for the outcome all the same.”

“So Kicha is going to be King? Because of you?” Hillie asked in shock.

Ramesses nodded.

Zahre was shaking her head, but she was smiling nonetheless.

“Your powers of persuasion are something to be both proud of and feared, my jewel. Even I have been unable to make such a change in this city’s government, and you have done all that and more in just a few hours.”

“I can’t take all the credit. Kicha had to answer the questions honestly and Geri didn’t have to listen to me. I just knew how to read the situation and make it so the most people would be happy with the outcome,” Ramesses said.

“It was still your hand and mind that pushed it, and that is something to be proud of,” Zahre said and got up, giving her son a kiss on the forehead. “You knew a way to get someone you love their happiness and managed to make it happen. I couldn’t be prouder of you for that.”

Ramesses smiled up at his mother, practically beaming from the praise. He hadn’t done it to make anyone proud, but hearing it from his mother sent a tidal wave of happiness crashing through him. His biological parents had never shown any positive feelings toward him growing up; and even in his twenties, he was still getting used to the change with Zahre as his new mother.

“What does this mean for your relationship? Sneaking around with a nobleman is one thing, but it’s going to be a lot harder to do with a king,” Hillie brought up.

“That thought did cross my mind and I blatantly ignored it for my own sanity's sake,” Ramesses started. “Kicha also thought of that though, and finally fully acknowledged our relationship with other people in the room. He held my hand, we kissed, no denying anything. And then he asked me to move into the palace with him and wants to name me his consort.”

He finished the last part in a rush. His mind was still swimming with the knowledge of it all and he wanted to share the news with someone who understood what he was feeling. Hillie was staring at him wide-eyed and mouth open. Zahre looked like she was about to cry and Ramesses wasn’t sure if it was from happiness or sadness. They both knew how much this meant to him and it was clear the feelings were shared.

“You said yes, right?” Hillie finally asked.

“I sort of kissed him as my answer, but he got my meaning,” he replied with a laugh.

Zahre reached over and took his hands in hers. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears. She was beaming at him all the same.

“I was looking forward to having you here every day after being gone for so long. You both know I have no children, but see everyone here as my large and very odd family. And it’s no secret I see myself as your parent more than anyone else’s. I couldn’t be prouder of you and I am happy beyond words that you are finally starting to get the happiness you so desperately deserve. I know Kicha had his reasons for keeping you a secret, but I also know how much it hurt you at times to play the friend and not the lover. While I will miss seeing your beautiful face around here as often as I would like, I have every faith you will rise to this occasion and flourish.”

Ramesses had promised himself he wouldn’t cry. He knew this was going to be an emotional visit and thought he was better prepared for it. But somewhere in the middle of that speech, he couldn’t hold back and by the end, they were both crying. Even Hillie’s eyes were wet with tears.

“How am I supposed to move out when you start making speeches like that?” he asked, wiping at the tears streaming down his face.

“You will not be moving out entirely. The palace has more than enough furniture to spare so your room here will remain as it is. It may be foolish of me to keep an empty room when I can easily fill it with someone new, but I’m sentimental so it can stay. The only thing really leaving will be your body and your wardrobe. You will always have this home as a place to come back to, Ramesses.”

He knew that. Of course, he knew that. Hearing it spoken out loud just made it all the more real and imminent. This whole day was a basket of emotions. Excitement, worry, nervousness, and the type of sadness that lent itself to happiness were all bubbling to the surface in his chest and there were so many more events set to happen. Ramesses wasn’t sure how he was going to survive all of it, but it was too late to back out now.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kicha is officially crowned King, with plenty of time to celebrate after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some very explicit sexual content at the end just so you're all aware.

**Chapter Three:**

After all the tears had been wiped away, Ramesses spent a couple of hours catching up with his family before they all helped him to pack up what he needed to move into the castle. Zahre arranged for a carriage to take him back and he made sure to invite them to the coronation before he left.

The ride back to the palace was quick. Ramesses had just started getting comfortable when they pulled up to the palace gates. Guards were already waiting when he stepped out of the carriage and a group of servants rushed forward to take his belongings to his new room. Ramesses started to offer to help but they politely waved him off.

Two guards approached, having recognized him from earlier, and volunteered to take him to the royal chambers. Ramesses had asked to see Kicha, but as it turns out the soon-to-be-King was still being prepared for the coronation tomorrow. His clothes were all ready, but now he was being instructed on proper forms and all that for the ceremony.

The royal chambers were grander than anything Ramesses had ever seen before. He had thought Kicha’s bedroom at his parent’s house was big. This room was something else entirely. The doors opened into a living area furnished with plush couches, a small dining area, and even a grand piano next to a fireplace. Heavy purple curtains opened onto a balcony over a garden full of flowers and an intricate pond. Off to the left were a set of wooden and glass doors, deep brown in color and the glass was frosted just enough to give privacy to the bedroom beyond. 

The guards had left him alone to explore what would be his new home. That thought alone sounded foreign in his mind. Even on the road, he thought of his home as Zahre’s. And while his mother had made it clear that wasn’t going to change, the thought of being able to call more than one place home almost felt too good to be true. One home being a palace and the other being a pleasure house didn’t help the fairy tale feel to it much either.

Even with all that circling around in his head Ramesses couldn’t stop the grin on his face as he opened the bedroom doors. Kicha hadn’t lied about the Venetian King-sized bed. It looked big enough for three people with towering four posters and more curtains draping around the whole thing. This room had the same purple and glossy black decor as the living room and still managed to feel bright.

The bedroom had two doors on the left. One leading to a master bathroom with a toilet, large bathtub, and a partitioned off shower. The second door opened into a large walk-in closet. Some of his clothes had already made it to the hanger. Ramesses suspected an even larger closet was waiting in the hall nearby.

Ramesses had no idea when Kicha would be allowed to come to bed so there was no point waiting up for him. They would both be too tired to have fun anyway. Instead of staying up he changed into a simple pair of bedclothes from his closet and climbed into bed.

The blankets were softer than they looked and they already looked like they were made of clouds. The mattress was even softer, feeling like you were sinking into a warm embrace. Ramesses never wanted to leave and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Ramesses woke up to the feeling of a hand running through his hair until the long strands fell back against the blankets and pillows, only to start up again. The light was still dim from what he could tell with his eyes still closed. Either the curtains were drawn to keep most of the sunlight out or it was still late at night. And given how well-rested he felt, he was willing to bet it was the former rather than the latter.

He had fallen asleep cuddling a pillow, but now his arms were around something far more solid than a feather pillow. A someone, actually.

Ramesses slowly blinked his eyes open and tilted his head up enough to see Kicha smirking down at him. The other man was sitting up just enough so he could relax on the mountain of plush cushions piled on the bed. His black hair was a mess and he’d forgone a nightshirt, preferring to sleep half-naked, as usual when he was around Ramesses. The days of trying to cover up the birthmarks scattered across his torso were long gone.

Well, with them at least. Ramesses wasn’t sure how Kicha felt about them around other people given how much time they’d been apart.

“At last, Sleeping Beauty awakes,” Kicha said, smirking.

Ramesses rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. “You know I believe that story involves her being woken by true love’s kiss. Not playing with her hair.”

Kicha shrugged. “I must have read the wrong translation. I guess we’ll have to test it another time.”

He leaned down while Ramesses leaned up to kiss him. They both came away smiling, though Ramesses was always smiling brighter.

“What time did you get back last night?”

“Late enough that you were fast asleep. You barely stirred when I got into bed. Normally you wake up enough for a lazy kiss or two,” Kicha replied with a chuckle.

It was Ramesses’s turn to shrug. “Yesterday took more out of me than I expected. The comfortable bed didn’t help me to stay awake either.”

“I can’t imagine it would,” the soon-to-be King said. “Today is going to be even more tiresome than yesterday I fear.”

“Today is more of a party for me,” Ramesses snuggled closer to Kicha as he talked. “Speaking of which, how long do I have you before the main event?”

Kicha turned slightly so he could move the curtain around the bed. A streak of brilliant sunlight lit the bed as he poked his head out to glance at the grandfather clock against the wall.

“We have a little over an hour before anyone will come calling for me. The coronation isn’t until around mid-afternoon. Then the after-party to celebrate. I need to get ready and prepare beforehand.”

The grin that spread across Ramesses’s face was downright mischievous. An hour was plenty of time to make sure Kicha got ready for the coronation in the most relaxing way possible.

“That gives us enough time to start breaking in this comfortable bed, don’t you think? This will be your last morning as just a plain nobleman,” Ramesses said and pulled Kicha back down onto the bed.

“You don’t want to wait to bed a king?” Kicha asked.

“That’s for this evening. I need something fresh in my mind to compare it to,” he replied.

Kicha shook his head and laughed. The whole reasoning was absurd but was also entirely Ramesses. With a flick of his tail, Kicha closed the curtains again and the two of them fell back into the mountain of blankets and pillows to pass the time away.

* * *

Several hours later Ramesses was standing in the palace temple to the ancestors with his mother and sister. The servants had set up rows of seating for the coronation with a long blue rug rolled out down the middle leading up to a podium. The main ceremony would be held here for specific nobles and guests. Then everyone would meet in the main hall for the celebration. Ten times the number of guests would be attending by that point.

Everyone was dressed in their finest for the crowning of a new king. Ramesses was wearing pants for once. Normally at events, he liked the feel of long skirts or a dress with pants combination, but today he decided to be more subdued for the crowd. Kicha had said they would dance and that he wouldn’t be kept a secret, but Ramesses was still getting used to the idea. Showing up in a ball gown, no matter how masculine the cut, might make Kicha reconsider.

Tonight he wore black ankle height heeled boots, a pair of deep blue high waisted pants and a tan shirt that looked almost sheer in the shoulders and arms. Instead of normal sleeves, the sleeves were long and billowy, trailing all the way to the floor, giving the illusion of a cape while still being a shirt. Strips of dark blue, light blue, and cream beads were embroidered vertically along the chest and angled horizontally along the cape sleeves. Long teardrop-shaped beads hung down at the waist and made soft tinkling noises as he moved. He kept his hair in a half up and half down style with an intricate comb holding it in place at the back of his head.

Zahre and Hillie were equally as stunning. His mother had her hair up in a pile of braids and jewelry that accentuated her horns like a halo. Chains hung down from the tips of her horns, one connecting to a nose piercing and the other to an earring. Her gown was a soft purple with golden accents to contrast with the deep red color of her skin. The sleeves on the gown stopped at the elbow and then trailed down to just above the floor. Golden and rainbow bracelets and rings adorned her arms and fingers. Her shoes were covered by the length of her skirts, but Zahre wore golden heels with straps that wrapped all the way up to her knees.

Hillie’s strawberry blonde hair was curled and pinned so it framed her face. She wore a gold chain braided into her hair so it hung across her forehead like a tiara and a matching one around her neck. Hillie’s dress was a little more revealing than Zahre’s but only slightly. The gown was a pastel green with no sleeves, but cloth draping down the shoulders in the back. A white cord was tied around her waist with a length of it dangling down on the side of the dress that had a waist-high slit. A yellow underskirt could be seen through the slit when she walked and her shoes matched Zahre’s only in silver.

The trio painted a striking portrait as they stood together near the left side of the temple. All the nobles were mingling with one another. Though they stayed in clustered groups so the three courtesans didn’t look out of place. Ramesses and the girls had discussed prior whether or not to openly converse with the others attending the ceremony before Kicha was crowned. There were pros and cons to both sides, but in the end they decided to keep to themselves unless approached. With so many nobles in the room it was better to keep a certain level of anonymity until the time was right.

Thankfully, they looked the part well enough to fool the masses.

A familiar face exited the crowd of people and approached their little group. An older Tiefling that was getting on in years with wrinkling skin that was grayish in color and a kind smile. His short bushy gray hair was barely kept neat with flyaways going in all directions. And despite all that, his dress coat and pants were neat and styled without so much as a thread out of place. Geri walked up with a smile and greeted Zahre with a kiss on each cheek.

“Zahre, it is good to see you. I feel like we haven’t seen each other in months,” Geri said.

“Business has been busy these last few months. I haven’t had much time for personal visits. I promise once things settle down you and I will have lunch and can catch up. I’ve missed you too,” Zahre said returning the greeting.

Geri turned to greet Ramesses and Hillie with a gentle smile. They were both familiar with the man in passing. The old man had been a friend, a true friend, to Zahre for years to where the two of them often went out to lunch or just days on the town. He wasn’t a client of the business so he was never seen around their home, but they were still familiar with the man in a general sense.

“And this is Hillie, yes? Your main protege?” he asked.

Hillie nodded. “Yes, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Geri.”

“The pleasure is all mine. The Madame speaks very highly of you. It’s good to know she has someone looking out for her.”

He turned his attention to Ramesses next, a knowing look on his face.

“Now I have heard a lot about you, young man, and it’s good to finally have a face to the name,” Geri said.

“I could say the same, Geri,” Ramesses replied.

“How did you come up with the plan to give me those letters and write everything out so quickly?” the old man asked.

Ramesses shrugged. “Kicha gets stuck in his head too much and I know a better side of him than most people. And with you being a friend of my mother I figured it was worth a shot to help with the vote. I didn’t expect it to go as well as it did.”

Geri shook his head in amusement, but then leveled a more serious look at the golden tiefling.

“Well, it did go as well as it could have. I hope the two of you are prepared for what that means now. I don’t think I will be regretting my decision to put your man on the throne, but we don’t want others to have any reason to doubt him.”

Ramesses’s gaze flickered to the podium at the head of the temple. The guests of honor hadn’t arrived yet, but it was where Kicha would be officially crowned. Once that crown was on his head things would be very different. Both for good and for bad. The real question was were they both ready for that big of a change? Moving into a new home and bedroom were small things compared to running a kingdom.

It was a lot to put on one man’s shoulders.

“It will be challenging at first, but I have faith he will be a great king once he settles into it,” Ramesses said as he turned his gaze back to Geri.

Hillie playfully nudged Ramesses with her hip before throwing an arm around his waist.

“As long as he has you there, you mean. I’ve seen what kind of a mess he turns into when you go missing. It’s not pretty. The man doesn’t know what to do with himself,” she teased.

Ramesses laughed lightly. “Seeing as I’ve already moved in, I think it will be safe to say I am not going anywhere. He couldn’t get rid of me even if he tried.”

Both Zahre and Geri shook their heads at the two adult children. Zahre was just about to open her mouth to tell them to have a little more decorum when the temple doors were closed and a hush fell over the crowd. Geri bid them farewell and headed to his seat with the other nobles in the room. Everyone sat among their own families, making it very obvious where certain lines were drawn.

Ramesses and his family sat in the second row as to not be too obvious. Everyone pays attention to the people that want to sit front and center. It’s the second row that gets away with being noticed just enough that they were there, but not enough to draw too much attention. And there was no chance Ramesses was going to sit anywhere near the back. He wanted to be as close as he could without being too obvious about their relationship until it was officially out.

Though now that he was thinking about it the two seamstresses could have let it slip to anyone after he left. And the guards and servants had known to bring his things to the King’s suite the day before. For all he knew it was already out in the world and everyone was just keeping their mouths shut. There was a difference though in having those employed within the castle knowing and those outside. Official statements were a big deal when royalty was involved.

Once everyone was seated a handful of guards entered the room from the recently closed doors. They lined up on either side of the doors as Kicha and the two heads members of the council walked up the main aisle. Everyone turned to watch as they made their way up to the podium.

The two council members were dressed well enough, obviously, but Ramesses was more focused on Kicha. He hadn’t gotten to see what the tailors had been working on the night before and Kicha had been spirited away to get ready when he had gone to meet with his mother and Hillie. Seeing him now with his head held high and the air of authority around him was simply breathtaking.

Kicha was dressed in a tight fitted marbled black dress coat with deep red highlights and matching trousers. His buttoned undershirt was low cut showing off a bright white dress shirt two rows of golden necklaces. A long black cape hung off his shoulders. An intricate design embroidered all over the back and dark black fur lining the neck area. His hair had been tamed and braided back on the sides, leaving the rest to flow down to his shoulders. All in all, he looked like a king already. Now he just needed the crown.

The trio climbed the small steps to the podium and stood so Kicha was in the middle. His gaze scanned the crowd, locking on someone near the far right for a moment and then sliding over to Ramesses. Ramesses gave a small wave with his fingers, trying not to attract too much attention. He noticed Kicha’s expression relax just a bit before the Head Councilwoman spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I would first like to thank you all for attending this long-awaited coronation on such short notice. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we have been waiting for a proper ruler for far too long and it is about time we have agreed upon a suitable subject,” she paused as there was a wave of polite laughter throughout the room. “However, this does not mean we made this decision lightly. The challenge and privilege of ruling a kingdom is something that only the strongest and most qualified of us can handle. Which is why the entire council thought hard about the decision that was placed before us. After a long debate, it was made clear to many of us that Kicha from Briarwood House would make a fine ruler for our city.”

Her speech went on in a similar fashion for several minutes while Ramesses only half listened. Kicha had warned him that the whole ceremony would take some time before he was actually crowned, but he wasn’t prepared for the speeches. They sounded lovely and he was sure the nobles in the room were just eating it up. Anyone who hadn’t been present in the council chamber for the decision the other day deserved to know how it had come to pass, but from what Kicha had told him it hadn’t gone like the Head Councilman and Councilwoman were going on about.

And Ramesses had seen Kicha’s gaze lock on another person in the room. As far as he knew there wasn’t really anyone else of note that was invited. Kicha probably knew a good amount of the people in the room just from being raised in the higher class of the city, but was anyone else important enough to acknowledge with his eyes?

H.C Two stepped forward and made his own similar speech. Once he was done he gestured for a page boy to bring the crown. The teen emerged from one of the temple alcoves and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. But still he brought the crown perched atop a plush silk pillow up to the podium. He stopped next to where the two council members stood side by side and knelt down, offering them the crown. Kicha stepped forward and knelt before them as the two took the crown from the pillow. With each council member holding onto the crown, they carefully placed it onto his head. As they stepped back Kicha stood and turned to face the room; now full of his subjects rather than his equals or better.

Kicha stepped forward and bowed, careful to keep the crown on his head, to the room as the page boy scurried off and the council members came up behind him.

“Your new ruler. King Kicha Briarwood,” they said in unison.

The room erupted into cheers, though they were still a bit restrained given the audience present. The people were excited, but they had to save a bit of decorum because of their reputations.

Ramesses and Hillie had no such issues.

They stood with the rest of them, but cheered loud and proud. Hillie even threw in a few whistles to make it interesting. Ramesses could see Kicha’s calm demeanor start to crack just a bit from the sheer lunacy from their group. He was just about to join Hillie in the whistling when Zahre pulled them back a bit.

“Alright you two, do not break the boy before the party starts. He has had five whole minutes of ruling. At least give him a day,” she said with a hint of amusement.

“Yes, Mom,” they said together and then burst out laughing again.

Zahre rolled her eyes at them as Kicha invited everyone to meet in the great hall for the celebration. Row by row everyone filed out of the room. Ramesses turned around to see if Kicha was following them, but the King had disappeared with the council members. The temple probably had a back exit that the royals used to get around faster. Why they hadn’t used it for the coronation ceremony was something he would have to ask Kicha about later. Though the answer would be "tradition" no doubt.

It was clear once the three of them stepped foot into the Great Hall that this was where most of the work and budget had been focused. Lantern lights were strung up along the high ceiling so that they trailed up and down providing multiple layers of light. Silk curtains in shades of red and black were draped along the walls with tables matching the decor scattered about the edges of the room. Buffet tables lined the left and right walls and servants rushed around offering drinks and appetizers to the waiting rich. A live band was off in the corner and had already started playing a soft song on the violin and piano.

Several nobles had already started drinking and dancing, while others stood or sat at tables planning to take the evening slow.

Ramesses looked around but still didn’t see Kicha anywhere. Zahre noticed his searching gaze and pulled the group of them over to a standing table near the buffet.

“Have some patience, little one. He will be out here shortly,” she said.

“I know…” Ramesses said quietly. “I just want to dance is all.”

“If you are waiting just to dance with him it will be awhile. Each member of the council lends him a partner for a dance first. Then he will be free to dance with whomever he likes. It is part of the whole pageantry of the night.”

Ramesses deflated a little. Kicha hadn’t mentioned that part. He knew they wouldn’t be able to dance together the whole night, but he had been hoping to at least get to dance with him first after sitting through that whole crowning ceremony. Now he had to wait through thirty more people to get to his man. The whole thing made him want to just sit down and pout.

“Oh no, don’t you start getting that down look on your face. Come on, we can’t let these rich people have all the fun,” Hillie said and pulled him away from the table and out onto the dance floor.

They took turns twirling one another to the beat of the music and by the time the song was over Ramesses was having fun again. His moment of sadness washed away by the excitement in the air and his sister making sure the two of them were having fun.

Just as the band was starting up a new song Kicha made his appearance. The furred cape was gone, but the rest of his outfit remained the same. Ramesses wasn’t sure what had kept him so long, but he was here now which meant they were that much closer to being able to spend more time together.

The crowd stopped dancing for a moment to acknowledge their new king and then the first family selected to dance with him came forward and the party continued.

“One down, twenty-nine left to go,” Hillie said as they started to dance again.

One by one Kicha danced with a member of each family on the council while Ramesses traded off dancing with Zahre and Hillie. Geri even stepped in a couple times after his own dance with Kicha. The whole charade took a little over two hours and by the end of it, Ramesses was about ready to sit down and rest his feet.

Breaking off from his group to let Zahre dance with Geri, and Hillie with her own suitor, Ramesses made his way over to one of the buffet tables and grabbed a chocolate-covered strawberry to munch on. He had just finished swallowing the final bite when a voice spoke up from behind him.

“How did I know I would find you by the strawberries?” Kicha asked.

Ramesses turned with a huge grin on his face. He started to reach for Kicha’s hand but then stopped mid-motion. Kicha had told him he was allowed to be affectionate in public, but Ramesses was still so used to having to control himself while they were out. He’d only been given permission the day before and it was going to take some time for the years of self-control to be broken.

Kicha noticed the hesitation. He reached around Ramesses and grabbed two more chocolate-covered strawberries and handed one to the other man.

“Are you enjoying the party so far?” he asked.

Ramesses had already started eating the treat, so he waited until he had finished chewing to answer. “Not nearly as much as I should be. I’ve been waiting for my main dance partner, but his dance card was _way_ overbooked.”

Kicha laughed and popped his own treat into his mouth and finished it before speaking again. “That fiend. Care to show me what he’s missing out?”

“I thought you’d never ask, _your majesty_ ,” Ramesses teased.

He held out his hand and Kicha took it, leading them both out onto the dance floor. The new king had had a couple male dance partners while he’d been dancing with council families, but this dance with Ramesses was very different. While the previous dances had been formal and very by the book in terms of where hands were placed and what steps could be made, this was very obvious a couple finally being able to dance with one another.

Kicha had his hand on Ramesses’s waist while Ramesses rested his own on the other man’s shoulder. The two of them twirled and spun around the dance floor with ease. Stepping together as one. Their bodies were so close Kicha could tell when Ramesses was about to pull a move that would have tripped up any other dancer.

No one else in the room mattered. They were just colorful blurs to Ramesses. He didn’t care if they were staring or not. The most important person in the room was Kicha, literally, and he had him right where he wanted him.

The two lovebirds danced through a whole set before they finally started to slow down. Kicha’s feet had to hurt just as much as Ramesses’s feet did. But he knew as soon as they stopped someone else was likely to cut in and either spirit him away or interrupt the conversation at least. There was one question still nagging at his mind.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Ramesses asked.

“You just did, but go ahead,” Kicha said teasingly.

Ramesses would have stuck his tongue out at the man if they weren’t in the middle of a ballroom surrounded by hordes of people.

“Who else did you lock eyes with at the ceremony? You were really focused on someone before me,” he asked.

Kicha sighed and his shoulders slumped a fraction before resuming his dancing position.

“I invited my father,” Kicha answered slowly.

Ramesses’s eyebrows rose. _His father?_ He had expected someone important, but not the man’s father. They’d only crossed paths a few times when Ramesses had been pretending to be a tailoring apprentice to fool everyone about his and Kicha’s relationship. None of the times had gone over very well and the man left a bad taste in his mouth. It didn’t help that he wasn’t a particularly good father to Kicha either.

“You invited him? Why on earth did you do that?” he asked.

Kicha twirled them around, sending Ramesses out and then back in before he answered. “I needed to in order to give myself the leverage and put up a good face. If I hadn’t he could have played the disappointed father with the ungrateful son who doesn’t deserve the crown.”

“But since you invited him and he showed up he can’t claim any owned animosity towards you. If he starts talking behind your back it will be on his reputation and not yours,” Ramesses said, finishing the train of thought.

Kicha nodded. “Exactly.”

“I’m impressed. You weren’t even on the throne yet and you were already thinking several steps ahead.”

“I learned it from you. Well, you and the crazy psycho we will now never speak of again,” Kicha said.

“Oh, I like the sound of that,” Ramesses replied.

The song ended and the two finally stopped dancing. There was a smattering of applause as they stepped apart. A good amount of the gathered nobles had stopped to watch their performance. The attention actually made Ramesses blush.

Ramesses gave Kicha a small bow for the show of it, and then blushed harder as Kicha planted a kiss on his hand. They’d danced as an obvious couple for long enough that people stood and watched and that little act of affection made his stomach flutter.

“Do I get to keep you for a little longer or will you be whisked away again as soon as I let go of your hand?” Ramesses asked.

“I will have to start mingling again sooner or later, but right now I need to get off my feet for a few minutes,” Kicha responded.

“Mom and Hillie have a table near the corner if you wanted to join us there.”

Kicha shook his head. “As much as I would love to, any time I’m not out here on the floor I am to be up on the throne. King’s honor and all that.”

Ramesses frowned. How was he supposed to enjoy the party when he wasn’t even allowed to sit with his date? The dais the throne was on didn’t have a full table to sit at. Only the chair and an end table for the King to eat at while he rested. The only way Ramesses would be able to spend more time with him was if he joined him on the dais.

Wait a minute.

“Any chance I could join you up there? I could sit on the floor, or the arm of the chair, or in your lap?” Ramesses asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

Kicha shook his head, but was smiling despite himself. “No, you can’t sit on my lap. At least not with this many people present. I might be able to get someone to bring you a chair though. Hold on.”

They had wandered over to the second buffet table while talking, so Ramesses busied himself with making a plate for each of them while Kicha called over a nearby servant. The two of them spoke in hushed tones for a moment before the servant nodded and hurried off. When Kicha turned back around Ramesses had already gotten him a plate piled high with food. Actual food. Not just sweets from the dessert table.

“Oh, thank you,” he said, taking the plate. “Someone will bring a chair up for you. I can’t promise how fancy it will be though.”

“It could be a stool for all I care. I’m really not that picky,” Ramesses said.

Ramesses followed Kicha back up to the dais where the throne was at and was shocked to see that there was a small chair already placed next to the end table.

“That was quick.”

“People work faster when the King asks for it,” Kicha said and took his seat.

“You are going to milk this for everything that it’s worth aren’t you?”

“Only a little,” Kicha laughed.

Ramesses sat next to Kicha and placed his plate of food on the table. He stole a glance at the crowd as he took a bite of one of the salad dishes he’d grabbed. The dressing was delicious and he had to keep himself from wiping the leftover liquid from the bottom of the plate. If they were alone it wouldn’t have been a problem. Now that he was sitting up on high with the king there were more than a couple of eyes on them.

“We are being watched like hawks, Love,” Ramesses said.

“I know. I’m doing my best to ignore them, but I’m afraid it’s not working very well,” Kicha said, his eyes focused on his food. “That is going to take a lot of getting used to.”

“How many of them do you think are going to be whispering about us by the time the night is over?”

“Oh, I expect each and every one of them to be talking about us. The question is whether or not it will be behind our backs or to our faces. Then it’s whether they are saying good things or bad things,” Kicha said and looked up at Ramesses.

Ramesses held his stare and then reached over to wipe a stray piece of food off the corner of Kicha’s mouth. The king flushed in embarrassment and ducked his head. When he looked back up he was laughing quietly.

“My first meal and I’m already getting it all over my face.”

“Technically, you had a strawberry earlier. So it was the second meal that did you in,” Ramesses teased.

Kicha leveled a half-serious look at him before they were interrupted by a local noble that Ramesses had never seen before. The man and his wife offered their congratulations and wished him a good evening before they left for the night.

“Are people going to stop and let you know when they’re leaving all evening?” Ramesses asked, a little shocked.

“Only the people that want me to remember them and think highly of them.”

“That sounds like a lot of them, Love. You’re the King.”

“It is going to be a long night. Are you sure you’ll be awake for what you want to do later?” Kicha teased.

Ramesses laughed and waved his fork at the other man. “I will have all the energy in the world to make your first night as King as enjoyable as possible. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”

The conversation settled after that with the two of them focusing on their meals and finally being able to rest. They were only interrupted on occasion by the passing noble wanting to make an impression before heading home for the evening.

By the time they finished their food and the plates had been whisked away by servants Ramesses saw Hillie and Zahre approaching the platform. The two women curtsied politely and offered their congratulations to their newly crowned friend while staying at the bottom of the small steps. 

Kicha actually got up and gave each of them a hug and thanked them for coming as well. “I feel like I should be thanking you specifically for something, but there are too many things for me to pinpoint.”

“Do not thank me. Just be the kind of King that we know you can be and I will call it even. And don’t forget to invite us over every so often. I am going to miss teasing you every other day now that you are going to be out of my reach,” Zahre said and patted his cheek.

Everyone laughed and Kicha nodded.

“I think I can arrange that,” he said.

Zahre and Hillie said their goodbyes and were just getting ready to leave for the night when a group of ambassadors and council members swarmed up to the dais. The King’s time to rest his feet was over and it was time to walk and talk amongst the masses once again. Ramesses waved a quick goodbye to his lover as the man was whisked away and then followed his mother and sister back out onto the party floor.

“Do you two have any idea how long you were dancing for?” Hillie asked as they walked.

Ramesses shook his head. “I wasn’t really looking at a clock.”

“An hour. You two have been glued to one another for over an hour now,” she teased.

“We have?” Rameses asked in surprise. No wonder people were swarming him now. He’d been monopolizing all of the attention. That made him a little nervous. It was Kicha’s first night as King and Ramesses didn’t want to mess that up by taking up all his time. The worry must have shown on his face because Hillie nudged him with her hip to get his attention.

“Stop fretting over it. The looks on both of your faces while you were dancing was enough to melt any cold heart in the room. I think people stopped to watch just because of how obvious you two were. Though immediately going to sit with him on the platform was more of a statement than anything else.”

“It was a sweet moment between the two of you. I have yet to hear any whispers of disapproval. They will come, but the fact that they are taking so long is a good sign, my Jewel,” Zahre said. 

“I just don’t want to mess up any of this for him,” Ramesses admitted.

“You won’t and neither will Kicha. As long as you two keep your wits about you I have full confidence that you’ll be able to handle the challenges that will come your way,” Zahre stopped and held Ramesses’s hands, looking him in the eye. “Now put all those worries out of your head for the night. Tonight is meant for celebration. Go mingle and get to know the people that will be close to you and your king. You are the best judge of character he has and he is going to need you if everything is going to go well.”

He nodded. She was right and he knew it. His ability to read people was part of what made him such a good prostitute. Not everyone was open even when paying for sex. It took a special set of skills to be able to read the silent signs people gave off even in the most simple of situations. Zahre was the same when it came to people. That’s what made her such a good Madame. She was able to weed out the clients that would be bad for business and her workers.

“You’re right. You are always right. I will go have my fun while Kicha is paraded around,” Ramesses said. “Have a good night you two. Thank you for coming. It means a lot to both of us.”

Ramesses hugged his mother and sister goodbye and walked them to the palace entrance before returning to the party. The number of attendants had diminished slightly. There was still a dance floor packed with couples, but the tables along the sides had grown a little empty. It was getting late so anyone with major plans or family at home elected to leave before it got too late in the evening.

He spotted Kicha on the other side of the room talking to a handful of nobles. Ramesses’s first instinct was to go to his side since that was where he wanted to be, but his mother was right. He couldn’t spend his whole time glued to the man. They both had their duties and Ramesses’s was to have fun while also paying attention to the people around them. This was his first night as King and there were still people that had not been thrilled with the crowning that had attended the party.

With that thought in mind Ramesses entered the masses. His dance with the new King made him almost immediately recognizable. All kinds of nobles and others of the like approached him to talk. He greeted each one with a warm smile and gave them his full attention. It was just like back at home with his clients only this had far more clothing involved and less physical contact. There were only one or two people that came up to him already in a bad mood about his relationship to the King, but by the time they finished talking Ramesses got the feeling they were more at ease with the situation.

He did notice Kicha’s father was still around but was very obviously avoiding him. He wasn’t sure if the man had elected to speak to his son yet, but Ramesses was sure he would learn soon enough.

The night went on in a similar fashion. Kicha made sure he was a proper host and monarch. Talking with his new subjects and dancing with those who asked. Ramesses even manage to get his hands on him one last time before heading off to bed. The party had died down a great deal by that point and Kicha promised to meet him back in their room as soon as he could get away without being rude.

* * *

Ramesses had just enough time to take a quick bath, dry his hair, and get ready for Kicha when the King finally returned to their bedroom. He’d dimmed all the sconces on the wall and pulled back the curtains surrounding the foot of the bed. He first thought to wait for Kicha while fully naked on the bed. But then there was no fun in unwrapping his present and Ramesses wanted him to have a fun night after all the stress of the day.

Instead, Ramesses was leaning against the post holding up the curtain at the foot of the bed wearing his favorite sleepwear. It was a two-piece long-sleeved shirt and pants outfit. Simple enough with peasant sleeves and a robe tie in the front. What made it stand out was the black silk material was thin enough that it was sheer as long as the cloth wasn’t overlapped with other layers. The dark sheer cloth combined with his golden skin peeking out from underneath it in the dim light painted a very tempting picture.

Kicha walked into the bedroom and stopped. His eyes locked onto Ramesses’s form and he just stood there with a hungry look on his face.

Ramesses grinned. “See something you like, Your Majesty?”

Instead of a response, Kicha walked forward and pulled Ramesses in for a kiss. Ramesses immediately leaned into it, moaning softly.

Kicha tangled his fingers in Ramesses’s hair and guided him back toward the bed. The two of them fell back onto the mattress, Ramesses’s hands already working to unbutton Kicha’s coat and shirt.

“Someone is in a hurry,” Kicha chuckled between kisses.

“I’m sorry. Does the King wish me to go slower?” Ramesses teased, pulling back long enough to answer.

“Not at all,” Kicha said and dove back in for another kiss.

Ramesses grinned and went back to work on the other man’s clothes. He’d gotten the coat off as Kicha’s own hands started to roam. Warm hands slid across his stomach as his own shirt was untied and hung open. 

A small moan escaped Ramesses’s mouth at the feeling of Kicha’s hands on his body for the second time that day. The other man growled in response and pressed himself closer. He could feel Kicha hardening through his pants and hurried to get his shirt untucked and onto the floor.

With both of them working at it it didn’t take long for the clothes to be cast aside without a second thought. Kicha started to reach up and take the crown off, but Ramesses stopped him.

“Oh no, this stays on tonight. How else am I supposed to bed a King?” he said with a grin.

Kicha simply smirked and rearranged the crown so it wouldn’t fall off and crawled on top of Ramesses.

They were both flushed from all the heavy petting and kissing, cocks hard and chests heaving. Ramesses was lying on his back against the pillows with Kicha crouched above him. Once the crown was in place again, Ramesses ran his hand down the side of Kicha’s face and neck until he stopped just above the waist.

“What would my King like this evening?” he asked as he trailed his fingers along Kicha’s skin.

Kicha shivered at the touch. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again they were dark; hungry.

“I want your mouth on me. It’s time to put that silvered tongue of yours to better use.”

Ramesses grinned and sat up. “Of course, _Your Majesty_.”

There was a small dance as they rearranged themselves on the bed. Kicha was leaning back on the pillows, legs spread, as Ramesses knelt in front of him. 

Ramesses leaned down and rested his head on his thigh. The hard cock in front of him was already dripping. He licked his lips and reached out, grabbing the length with his hand and guiding it to his mouth. He rolled his eyes up to see Kicha’s face as his own mouth slid over the tip of the cock and pushed it as far down his throat as he could.

His King groaned at the sensation and his eyes fluttered closed as Ramesses’s head started to bob up and down. He rested a hand on Ramesses's head, guiding his head and getting his fingers tangled in his hair once again. 

Ramesses swirled his tongue around the shaft as he moved, making sure to tease the slit on occasion just to watch the other man twitch in pleasure. 

It didn’t take long for Ramesses to hear Kicha’s breathing becoming more labored. He was thrusting into Ramesses’s mouth in tight frantic movements.

Kicha’s grip tightened on both the sheets and his partner’s hair as the feeling of Ramesses’s tight throat and tongue became too much for him. Ramesses hummed as Kicha came, hot white liquid shooting down his throat in waves. 

He swallowed all of it and then lapped up the rest until Kicha’s cock was clean and already starting to harden again.

“Is my King satisfied yet?” Ramesses purred.

Kicha blinked his eyes open and tilted his head so he could look at Ramesses again. A grin slowly formed on his face and he growled as he sat up. 

“Not even close,” he said and pulled Ramesses up into another kiss.

Kicha’s tongue explored his mouth as Ramesses moaned into him. They switched positions again as they kissed. Not stopping until Ramesses was back against the pillows and Kicha was leaning back on his knees above him.

“You, my delicious little devil, aren’t allowed to come unless I say so,” Kicha growled.

Ramesses bit his lip and smiled. “As my King requests.”

The King climbed over to the edge of the bed and grabbed the small bottle of lube Ramesses had left on the counter for this specific reason. Kicha raised his eyebrow at the golden man on the pillows and only got an even wider grin in return. Once he was back at the center of the bed he slicked up two fingers and motioned for Ramesses to open his legs.

Ramesses snuggled back into the mountain of pillows and spread his legs wide as instructed. Slowly, Kicha got into position and pushed one, then two fingers into Ramesses’s entrance. He moaned at the sensation of being filled, even with just the other man’s fingers. Kicha started pumping his fingers in and out and scissoring them back and forth to prepare Ramesses for a much larger length to come.

By the time Ramesses was stretched and ready he was practically begging for something larger. He groaned as Kicha withdrew his fingers and bit his lip as he felt the tip of his cock probing his entrance. He expected Kicha to push in, but the man just waited; teasing him.

“Kicha…” he moaned.

“What’s my name tonight?” Kicha asked.

“Your Majesty, please.”

“Please, what?”

“Fuck me, Your Majesty. Please,” Ramesses begged.

With that, Kicha pushed into the warm body beneath him. He lifted Ramesses’s legs, holding one in the air while the other rested on his shoulder. Ramesses moaned as Kicha pushed in until he’d taken the whole length. The King paused, giving Ramesses time to adjust to the size and feel of him before he started to move, slowly pulling out and then thrusting back in. He built a nice slow rhythm that drove Ramesses crazy more than anything else. He wanted Kicha rough and pounding into him. Instead, the man was taking his time, building up the pleasure one slow thrust at a time until he begged for something more.

Just as he was about to ask Kicha to go faster the man seemed to have read his thoughts because he began to increase his pace. That sweet spot inside him sending waves of pleasure with each stroke. Then he felt a hand wrap around his own hard cock and he moaned his pleasure to the room.

Kicha stroked Ramesses’s length in time to his thrusts. And as he quickened his pace Ramesses came undone more and more. He had his hands clenched into the blankets and his breathing was ragged and breathless. He could feel the pressure building in his groin and his body was begging for release. He wanted to cum, but Kicha hadn’t given him permission yet. Just that knowledge alone made his blood heat up even more, adding to the sensitivity of his body.

“Your Majesty, please. I need more,” Ramesses pleaded.

“More what?” Kicha asked, voice thick with pleasure.

“More of you. Faster, please.”

The King grinned, pulled out and removed his hand from Ramesses’s length. The golden boy groaned at the absence, face already starting to pout. Then Kicha thrust back in with a vengeance and began to fuck him like he so desperately craved.

“A King has to please his subjects,” he purred and captured Ramesses's mouth with his own.

Ramesses leaned into the kiss and moaned as Kicha grabbed onto his length again. Working his cock as he pounded into his ass. Soon they were both panting, voices breathless and full of need. Ramesses was starting to lose control again. The sudden shift in pace had given him enough of a rush that he hadn’t been worried about coming before his lover, but now that he was on the edge, the danger was back.

“Kicha, Your Majesty, I’m close. Please. I need to come.”

He expected Kicha to keep stringing him along. To make him beg until it was just too much to handle. They’d done that before so it was nothing new. But tonight was different. Kicha kissed him again and then let himself get lost in the pleasure of their two bodies moving together. 

He came for the second time that night. Hot semen shooting into the body beneath him until Ramesses finally came as well. Ramesses cried his pleasure to the ceiling, fingers digging into the bedsheets and toes curling as his feet dug into Kicha’s back.

They both collapsed onto the bed, sweaty and spent. Kicha pulled out and laid on his side, pulling Ramesses close. He grabbed a nearby cloth towel with his tail and used it to clean the two of them off before tossing it back to the floor with their clothes.

Ramesses cuddled into Kicha’s chest, arms wrapping around his neck as the day's events finally started to catch up to him. The combination of great sex and a busy day made it really hard for him to keep his eyes open now that they were spent and in bed.

“So how did that compare to this morning?” Kicha asked breathlessly.

Ramesses laughed, just as out of breath. “Well, I don’t want to insult a nobleman, but my King certainly knows his way around the bedroom. I definitely have my work cut out for me.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The arrival of someone new brings both excitement and uncertainty for Ramesses and Kicha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment. Heart. Follow. :D Lemme know what you guys think.

**Chapter Four:**

The next few days were a blur. Blending together in a sea of activity that Kicha and Ramesses were doing their best not to drown in. The constant revolving door of acting monarchs while they waited for Oriana to return had caused quite a knot to undo. Kicha’s first official day as King was spent sitting on the throne while a messenger read off all the mail that had been ignored or put aside for a later date.

After the fourteenth letter, Kicha was ready to set fire to the whole pile.

Thankfully, Ramesses came in to check on him every so often. Even if the visits were punctuated with suppressed laughter at his misfortune, it was nice to be able to see him amidst the monotony of the day.

Kicha almost groaned aloud when Ramesses showed up the third time with servants bringing lunch. He quickly dismissed the messenger and had the meal brought to the private chambers behind the throne room. He’d spent hours sitting in that chair and was desperate for a change of scenery.

The room itself wasn’t that large. Perhaps only big enough to house five people comfortably on the couches and plush chairs. That just made it all the better for having lunch back here. There was no way for a crowd of people to show up demanding his attention. If they did then they could wait out in the hall until he was done.

Ramesses sat down on one of the loveseats and patted the cushion next to him for Kicha to sit. The King smirked but still rolled his eyes as he sat down. He thanked the servants as they set the nearby table for their meal and then left the room. His guards even stayed out in the hall to give them privacy.

“How much mail do you have left?” Ramesses asked, his eyes shining with suppressed laughter again.

Kicha knew he was just dying to burst into hysterics over the whole situation. A King’s first act being a glorified letter opener was too comical to pass up.

“Three piles too many. If I find out who thought it was a good idea to just let all that sit and fester I’m going to lose it,” he said and slid Ramesses plate over to him before grabbing his own. “Most of them are inquiries on when the new ruler will be elected and complaints that it hasn’t happened already. About one in every twenty are actual notes of important information. Though I can’t be sure how important they are now that it’s been so long.”

“You can’t just make someone else read them for you?”

Kicha shook his head. “Nope. Apparently, I am only allowed to have someone else read them  _ to _ me.”

Ramesses covered his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing. Kicha leveled a very weak glare at him which only served to break the spell and Ramesses started laughing.

“I’m sorry, love. It’s just you’re the one with the crown and you still have people telling you what to do. And this is just about the mail. Can you imagine what else they’re going to be so uptight about?”

He put his head in his hands and groaned. “When you two talked me into this, I did not expect my downfall to be having to sit through someone telling me a family three towns away would like chickens for the summer.”

That made Ramesses laugh even harder. The golden boy was doubled over with his head on the arm of the couch and tears streaming down his face.

Kicha simply started to eat his lunch while he waited for the man to calm down. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he’d taken the first bite of the stew prepared for them. By the time Ramesses had finally stopped laughing he had already eaten half the bowl.

“If you laugh any longer your food is going to get cold,” he teased.

Ramesses wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled over his own bowl of stew. “That’s only if you don’t eat it first. How are you this hungry? I know you didn’t skip breakfast. I was there.”

He shrugged. “Boredom creates quite an appetite it would seem.”

They both chuckled at that and dug into the meal. It was delicious, as befitting a king, and the small pile of cookies left for dessert looked even better. Kicha had just taken a bite of gingerbread when Ramesses spoke up again.

“Mind if I bother you about the party last night?” he asked.

Kicha shook his head and gestured for him to continue. He had a cookie in his mouth and didn’t want to make a mess.

“Did your father actually speak to you or was he avoiding you as much as he was avoiding me last night?”

He swallowed the bit of cookie that was in his mouth and set the rest down before answering. He knew Ramesses would ask about it at some point. The man was too perceptive for his own good. It was part of his charm.

“He came and talked to me a little after you left. He wasn’t happy, but at least he didn’t start yelling and causing a scene.”

“I can’t imagine he would pull something like that with all those people there,” Ramesses said, setting his own food down.  


“No, which was part of why I invited him. He values his pride too much to cause drama outright in public.”

“So what did he say to you?”

“He said he didn’t know how I managed to weasel my “ungrateful” way to the throne without him noticing and offered his congratulations in a very mocking tone. Then he made it very clear he disapproves of your presence now that he knows we are not _just friends_ ,” Kicha said, a very tired look on his face. “Then he tried to pull favor as the father of a king before he left. It was all that I expected at least. Could have been much worse.”

Ramesses nodded. He had expected as much as well. It didn’t make it easier to hear though.

“Do you think he’s going to be a problem for us then, or no?” he asked.

Kicha shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. It’ll all depend on if he gets whatever it is he wants from me and how many other enemies I can make. I’ve already got five families that voted against me. They aren’t going to just sit back and let me try and be a good ruler.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that,” Ramesses said with a grin. “I think I had a couple of those angry families approach me last night. They weren’t happy with me either, but after we talked they seemed to change their tune a little. So you’re down to two possible enemy families now. Not counting your own of course.”

He blinked at Ramesses in surprise. Not only was this man the reason he was on the throne, now he was turning people in his favor in a single night. Zahre was right when she told him Ramesses was almost too good to be true.

“How on earth did you manage that?” he asked surprised.

It was Ramesses’s turn to shrug. “I just talked to them. I think they expected me to return their animosity and when I didn’t it surprised them. They just didn’t know how to accept the fact that you’ve changed. And I think there was a little jealousy mixed in because Ori gave you the throne and not them.”

“But they listened to you? How is that different from what Geri was saying during the council meeting?”

“Well, I wasn’t at that meeting so I don’t know what was said,” Ramesses said, giving Kicha a pointed look. “All I can say is I alleviated some of their fears and then made sure to ask how they were doing and if they were all enjoying the party. It’s just like when I was with clients only the clothes stay on after the talking is done.”

Kicha didn’t know what to say to that. The man had a point. He’d talked guards into taking a minotaur to a Prince and Princess in mourning as a private guard and even talked a vampire pirate out of killing him outright. Talking a bunch of snotty nobles out of being upset with their king was a walk in the park compared to that. It was still a little unnerving how easy Ramesses made it look though.

“I don’t know what to say other than thank you. Your mouth is skilled in more ways than one,” he joked. “Any chance you’d want to be head of negotiations instead of just my consort?”

Ramesses shook his head and chuckled. “No thank you. I have enough on my plate already with being your unofficial public relations person.”

————————————————————————

The mail took another half day to finish and then Kicha was whisked away from meeting to meeting. There were advisors to officially appoint, foreign dignitaries to send missives to and council members to appease. Everyone wanted their turn with the King and it seemed endless. He was half a week into his new reign when a messenger hurried into their bedroom just after breakfast.

“Your Majesty, someone has arrived asking for you. Well, your consort actually,” he said, eyes darting to Ramesses.

Ramesses perked up almost immediately at the breakfast table. His eyes brightened and he looked ready to burst at any moment. Kicha eyed him warily and addressed the messenger.

“Who is it?” he asked. Though he had a feeling he already knew given Ramesses’s reaction.

“A merchant. His name is Ail’mer Do’ra. He has a letter from your consort asking him to come to the palace,” he answered. “He’s waiting in the private room at the end of the hall, Your Majesty.”

Ramesses was up and out of his seat the minute the man’s name was said. He paused just long enough to make sure Kicha was following and then ran out of their bedroom door.

Kicha shook his head and dismissed the messenger as he followed after his excitable lover at his own, much slower pace. He partly wanted to give them some privacy, but he really wasn’t big on running after someone he wasn’t dating. The only person he would actively chase after had already rounded the corner and ran into the room in question.

The two of them were arm in arm and kissing by the time Kicha walked into the room. He had to bite back his first instinct to clear his throat to get them to break apart. It was his fault Ramesses had fallen for the other man and he’d promised to be okay with sharing. But that promise was easier to keep when the person in question was towns and towns away. Not five feet away from him with his arms around his lover.

Then he saw the content look on Ramesses’s face and knew he’d made the right decision. He’d seen that look before. It was the same expression Ramesses wore when they were together. In all the times he had caught Ramesses staring at him that look never faltered. Now there was just an extra person special enough to receive it.

It didn’t look like they were going to break apart anytime soon, so Kicha finally cleared his throat to get their attention.

Ramesses pulled away, a little flushed with embarrassment. For someone who never shied away from letting his affections be known, Ramesses blushed like a schoolboy any time he was caught. Kicha thought it was adorable.

“Sorry, we got a little carried away,” he said bashfully.

Kicha smirked. “I wouldn’t call that getting carried away. You and I have been caught in much more compromising positions.”

His attention turned to Ail’mer. The elven man was tall with sharp features, amber eyes, and red hair that hung down past the shoulders to mid-waist. He was well dressed in a copper brown colored dust jacket over a tan shirt. Black trousers that looked far too tight for Kicha’s liking and boots that rose up to mid-calf. 

The other man was sizing him up as well. Ramesses was standing between the two of them eyes darting back and forth trying to gauge a reaction. It was the first time his shared lovers were meeting and the slight tension in the air was obvious.

“Not that seeing you two staring at each other like this isn’t fun, but could we move this along. Otherwise, I am going to be forced to kiss you both until this weird moment is over,” Ramesses said.

That snapped them out of it and there was an awkward moment while the two men blushed sheepishly themselves.

Ail’mer extended his hand for Kicha to shake. “Despite the slightly awkward circumstances, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Kicha. I’m Ail’mer.”

“Likewise,” Kicha said, shaking his hand. “Did Ramesses offer any explanation as to why we asked you here or did he just jump you as soon as he opened the door?”

Ail’mer chuckled and shook his head. “No, I am afraid his letter was vague as to why he wanted me to come to the palace of all places and ask for him.” He gave Ramesses a pointed look before continuing. “And you are correct. I barely got a hello out before he  _ jumped _ me as you say.”

This time Ramesses didn’t look so sheepish. He had a grin on his face and his hands behind his back as if he was trying to keep them to himself.

“Not that I am not happy to see you, Little One, and grateful to see you have found your Kicha, but why exactly are we in the palace?” Ail’mer asked.

Ramesses’s grin grew even wider and Kicha couldn’t help but share in the smile just a little bit. He had left the crown in their room. If there was no official business to be taken care of in the throne room then there was really no point in wearing it around the palace. Not unless he wanted to look like an arrogant prick. The servants and guards knew who he was. They didn’t need the extra reminder of a jeweled headpiece.

Ail’mer didn’t know that though; which made this all the more entertaining.

The two shared a knowing look and Kicha gestured for Ramesses to tell him the good news.

The golden boy grinned and was practically bouncing on his feet with joy. “We’re at the palace because the lovely Kicha Briarwood is now the reigning King of Rheteah.”

Ail’mer blinked at Ramesses, his face both skeptical and shocked. His eyes darted to where Kicha was leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face.

“Little One, what have you done?” he asked in a non-accusing tone.

“What makes you think it was me?” Ramesses exclaimed.

Kicha laughed. “Because he clearly knows you almost as well as I do. And it was you, love.”

He pushed off the wall and gestured for the group of them to have a seat. There were more couches in this room and it was foolish of them all to still be standing.

“It’s a long story, but you are correct in assuming Ramesses had something to do with it. Nothing bad or out of line. Just being his usual self when it comes to getting people what they desire.”

The elven man didn’t look so assured so Kicha and Ramesses took turns explaining how this new situation came about. Ramesses even told him how they had found Kicha again since he hadn’t gotten the chance to write him about it on the way back to Rheteah. It was about lunchtime when they’d finished the tale and after a quick break to eat everyone was starting to be on the same page.

“Well, then forgive me for not allowing the proper respect, Your Majesty,” Ail’mer said with only a hint of teasing. “But can I ask why you had the Little One write to me here to tell me this? I will admit it’s better to hear in person and you have my well wishes for your title, but what am I here for other than to share your consort?”

Kicha was going to have to get used to the whole idea of sharing. It somehow felt different when Ramesses was sleeping with others as a part of his profession. Now there were emotions attached on all sides and he knew if he upset Ail’mer it could upset Ramesses and vice versa. Relationships were tricky enough with just two people. Adding a third was going to take some work.

“As King, I’m allowed to appoint advisors as I see fit. Thankfully, there are already a handful employed where I would like them and I know I can trust the ones I have. Since I’ve been gone from the city so long it’s going to take me some time to find those who I can place in the right positions with my own interests at heart. You, however, are an outside player that I know I can trust to have my back because Ramesses speaks so highly of you. He’s the best judge of character in my deck and he’s decided you’re important. With all that in mind, and if you’re willing to accept, I would like to name you my Master of Trade and Coin. It allows you to continue your business with an even more dignified seal of approval and gives you access to managing the commerce of the city.” Kicha paused, stealing a glance at Ramesses. “It also keeps you nearby for Ramesses. I was stupid enough to leave him in a bad way and as a result, I now share his heart with you.”

Ail’mer was quiet as Kicha spoke and stayed quiet while he thought over the proposal. Kicha could see the gears working in his head as his eyes went from his face to Ramesses and back before settling on the floor. From what his love had said about the man he was a well off merchant that specialized in artifacts and weapons that were imbued with magic from runes carved into them. He traveled up and down the continent and sometimes even overseas to sell his wares. He wasn’t sure how attached the man was to his semi-nomadic lifestyle, but he was hoping his attachment to Ramesses was enough to keep him here. Kicha needed as many allies as possible if he wanted to stay as King.

“Do you truly want to give me this position or is it just for the benefit of our golden one? I want to accept it, but I need to be sure it is more than just a glorified title,” Ail’mer said after some time.

“It’s more of a need on my part. I’m sure Ramesses has told you why I fled the city and who with. Many of the people here still don’t fully trust me, which means I can’t fully trust them yet. The fact that I was given the crown in the first place is thanks to Ori and Ramesses doing an excellent job at easing the fears of those in power. Unfortunately, that doesn’t include everyone and I’m in desperate need of people who won’t stab me in the back the first chance they get. Your relationship with Ramesses is just a bonus.”

Ail’mer nodded. “Then I will accept your offer on the condition that I have a better place to stay than my current lodgings. A caravan is nice, but only when I do not have to stay in one place for too long.”

Kicha smiled. He had already planned on where to house Ail’mer if the man accepted. He’d even kept it a secret from Ramesses; wanting to surprise him with the news as well.

“I have the perfect place for you to stay. Come,” Kicha said and stood up.

Ramesses was giddy with the news. He planted a kiss on Kicha’s cheek as he got up and went to do the same to Ail’mer. Then he took the elven man’s hand and together they followed Kicha back out into the hall.

“Where are we going?” Ramesses asked as they followed Kicha down a flight of stairs and down another hallway.

“I may have planned ahead and asked for a room to be set up for Ail’mer should he decide to accept my offer,” Kicha replied, looking over his shoulder at the two following him. “Considering how close you two are I thought it was a safe bet he wouldn’t turn me down.”

“And you said I was the sneaky one,” Ramesses joked.

Ail’mer laughed. “Little One, you are sneaky in ways that we could only hope to be. It takes skill to get what you want by being genuine and caring on the road to getting it.”

“See? I’m not the only one that fears what you could do in the wrong hands,” Kicha smirked and stopped outside a closed bedroom door. He glanced back at the others for a second before he opened the doors and flung them wide open.

Inside was a decent sized room for one. The whole room was washed in earth tones in terms of decor. It wasn’t anywhere near the size of the royal chambers, but it was definitely larger than a caravan. A small sitting room was partitioned off near the door. Then the rest of the room opened up into the larger bedroom. A double bed was off against a wall hidden by the partition of the sitting room for privacy. A door to the left led to a small personal bathroom and a closet next to that.

Kicha led everyone into the room and stood in the middle, arms opened in a showman type fashion. “Is this enough to satisfy your tastes, Ail’mer?”

Ail’mer’s eyebrows rose as he looked around the room. Kicha didn’t know how the man had lived before he started traveling for work, but judging by his reaction now this room was something new to him.

“This is perfect. I may need to do some rearranging, but other than that it should fit my needs perfectly. Thank you.”

Kicha nodded and slowly stepped over to where a bookcase was pushed against the wall off in the corner.

“You’re welcome, though when you rearrange you might want to be mindful of this little piece of furniture,” he said and pressed a metal piece of design work that was on the side of the bookcase.

It made a soft click and then the bookcase popped open an inch as if a release had been unlocked. Slowly, Kicha pushed open the bookcase to reveal a hidden doorway leading to a stone staircase going up.

Ramesses and Ail’mer stared at it in shock and moved closer to get a better look. A torch flickered to life as they poked their heads inside and looked up the dark tunnel to the staircase.

“Kicha, love, what’s this?” Ramesses asked.

Kicha leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, a smirk playing across his face. “This is a secret passageway that leads up to our bedroom. I was briefed on all the hidden walkways in the palace a couple of days ago— in case of emergencies, of course. When I saw this one I thought it was the perfect place for your other heart to go. I imagine this was for whatever mistress the past monarchs kept. Using it for you isn’t all that different.”

The look on Ramesses’s face was exactly what Kicha had been hoping for. The young man had his mouth open in shock before he regained himself and started smiling wider than Kicha thought possible. The next thing he knew Ramesses was in his arms and they were kissing.

Kicha could faintly hear the hidden passageway being closed and Ail’mer chuckling nearby. He paid it no mind though. He’d already had Ramesses in his arms earlier. Now it was Kicha’s turn.

Ramesses wrapped his arms around his neck and had practically jumped into his arms. He wasn’t even sure if the man’s feet were on the ground or if Kicha was holding him up. The kiss was tender and full of love. It was Ramesses trying to tell him how much he loved the surprise without using his voice. The man was a sap for letting people know how much he cared, be it physical or verbal. This was no exception.

He wrapped his arms around Ramesses’s waist and held him just as tightly. When they finally broke the kiss for air he carefully lowered Ramesses down to the floor so his feet were back on the ground. Though their arms were still wrapped around each other.

“Thank you. You don’t have to be doing this much, but you are and I love you so much for it,” Ramesses said.

“It’s about time I do something to return the favor,” Kicha said and kissed the bridge of Ramesses’s nose. “I love you too.”

Kicha had work to attend to after that. He was reluctant to go, wanting to spend more time with Ramesses and to at least try and get to know Ail’mer. But he had been known for skipping out on meetings before he had been named king and it wouldn’t be good for his reputation if he started doing the same as the ruler. He left Ramesses and Ail’mer alone to start getting the man settled into the palace and left to let the council know of his latest appointment and then see what else they had for him today.

————————————————————————

Kicha nodded at the guards outside his bedroom as he walked down the hall, headed for Ail’mer’s room. His meeting with the council had gone well earlier in the day and he’d been excused early enough to spend more time with Ramesses before he’d gone to bed. The poor boy was all tuckered out after helping his other sweetie move in. They’d done more than just get his room set up and a Kicha was still trying to work on his feelings about that matter. Which was part of why he was going to see the man so late at night. They hadn’t gotten a chance to get to know one another yet and it would be a bit easier if Ramesses wasn’t in the room.

He knocked on Ail’mer’s bedroom door and waited until the door opened and the redhead appeared in its space.

Kicha raised an eyebrow and smirked. “May I come in?”

Ail’mer didn’t look surprised to see him and stepped aside, holding the door open for him. “Be my guest. Though technically wouldn’t I be considered your guest because this is your palace?” he asked and closed the door once Kicha was inside.

“Probably, but I’m not interested in the semantics of who is who’s guest,” Kicha said as he looked around the room.

The man hadn’t been lying when he said he would need to rearrange some things. What was the living room area was now a half study and kitchen nook complete with a small round table for two that had a lace covering. A standing cabinet stacked with dining sets and utensils sat next to a countertop with a tea kettle on top. A work desk was pushed against the privacy wall and was already piled with papers and a small set of metal bracers.

Kicha peeked around the privacy wall to see the rest of the bedroom. The bed was still the same, but there was a new set of sheets. Probably ones from his own bed on the road. Instead of the random paintings on the wall, they had hung curtains and tapestries with intricate designs on them. The whole thing gave the room a cozy and very busy feel to it.

Kicha could see how the whole package appealed to Ramesses. He loved staying in places that felt lived in. Their room upstairs was already starting to collect little pieces of decor and clutter that made his love feel at home.

The sound of a bottle opening brought Kicha’s attention back to why he was here in the first place. He turned to see Ail’mer pouring a glass of wine for each of them and set them on the small dining table. The elven man took a seat and then gestured to Kicha to do the same.

“I take it this isn’t going to be a quick visit to see how I am settling in,” he said.

Kicha took a seat as well. “What gave it away?”

“The lack of a very excitable, golden tiefling at your heels. I assume he doesn’t know you’re down here?”

He shook his head. “He is currently sound asleep and hugging a pillow as we speak.”

Ail’mer took a sip of his wine and gave Kicha a quizzical look. “So is this where you threaten as King for potentially stealing your boy after you left him alone?”

Kicha winced at the accusation. He hadn’t wanted to leave Ramesses. Quite the opposite actually, but his cousin had left him with no choice. He understood where Ail’mer was coming from though. From his perspective, he had run off leaving nothing but a half hopeful note and a broken heart behind. It was very easy to paint himself as a cold-hearted lover.

“No, actually. I’ll admit this whole sharing idea still feels a little strange to me, but after seeing the way he looks at you I’m not so worried about losing him. He’s got the same lovesick look on his face looking at you as he has looking at me.”

“Then what is giving you pause?” Ail’mer asked.

What was making him hesitate with this whole situation? It was a loaded question that he knew the exact answer to but wasn’t willing to say out loud. Admitting that it was his own nervousness on the subject felt weak and he’d been raised to fight against what was seen as weakness. Spending all that time with Kilichar hadn’t helped much either. His cousin had known he’d preferred men over women, not that they weren’t both beautiful and he’d happily fall into bed with either. He just had a preference and Ramesses was his first and only on that side of the column.

He’d tried to slip away when on the road with Kilichar for some after-dark fun, but the bastard always found him and threatened him with a punishment worse than death if he went against his orders.

Kicha knew he’d been quiet too long. Lost in his own thoughts, but Ail’mer didn’t seem to mind. It was almost unnerving how patient he was being. Weren’t businessmen pushy by nature?

“It’s not sharing Ramesses that I’m feeling weird about. He was a courtesan when we met and then finally got together. He’s been sleeping with other people for as long as I’ve known him and that didn’t change anything then and it doesn’t now. It’s… It’s sharing me that has me in a knot.”

There. He’d said it. It was out in the air now and they could all finally move on with their lives.

Ail’mer smiled lightly, the emotion reaching all the way up to his eyes. “I take it our boy is the only man you’ve been with?”

Kicha nodded, a bit embarrassed. He was in love with a former courtesan and his own lack of male sexual experience was making him squirm. What the hell?

“It wasn’t for lack of trying later on my part. Certain individuals made it clear that if I strayed away from what he found entertaining then a very strict punishment would be in my immediate future,” he said.

“Your father?” Ail’mer asked, raising a brow.

“My cousin.”

“Ah, the problem child, Kilichar.”

“Yes, so you can see why I’ve kept this to myself,” Kicha said.

“I can and you should know that you have nothing to worry about, Kicha. I’m not going to all of a sudden believe that you and I are a couple because we share Ramesses. As much as he would love to have both of us in bed together I’m not going to push the subject and make you do something you are uncomfortable with.”

He knew that. Of course, he knew that. Then why did hearing it make his fears lessen just a little? Working through emotions was a task that no one had adequately prepared him for.

Kicha let out a breath and took a large drink from his glass of wine. AIl’mer had already taken a drink from his own glass so he doubted the wine was poisoned. He wasn’t sure if he cared if it was anyway.

“I know, but thank you for saying it anyway. I don’t know why I needed to hear that, but I did,” he paused. “That’s part of why I came down here. I know Ramesses. Ramesses knows me and he knows you. But you and I don’t know each other. What we do know has been passed on by our very excitable lover and while his heart is definitely in the right place it can’t replace an actual conversation.”

“This is a social call then,” Ail’mer exclaimed. “You’re really just here to talk.”

“Did you really expect me to come down here and threaten you?” Kicha asked.

Ail’mer shrugged. “While I have never been in a relationship such as this one, I  _ have _ been known to be with those that I should have stayed away from. Being threatened to keep my hands off of what is not considered to be mine is something I am very familiar with.”

That surprised him. He knew the elven man was also a former client of Ramesses, that was how they met, which suggested a more active love life, but he hadn’t expected such an admission. Kicha used to strut around like a “proper leech” in numerous whore houses around the city before he found one that stuck, but as far as he knew he’d never been with someone that was already in a relationship.

Ail’mer noticed the shocked look on his face. “Does that bother you?” he asked, amused.

That was a good question. Did it bother him? Not really. It was more of a subverted expectation. Kicha had come down here to search for something different than what he had walked in on earlier in the day. He wanted to see if the man Ramesses had fallen for was the same even when he wasn’t around. Sort of catching someone in the act of doing something wrong.

It sounded stupid even in his head. Ramesses had been turning this man down for years. Even before they were dating. Kicha knew Ail’mer was a regular that had constantly been asking Zahre to buy off Ramesses. He wanted the golden courtesan for his own and wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

Maybe that’s what was bothering him about this. Ail’mer had finally gotten what he wanted in a way. The only thing keeping him from fully “owning” Ramesses as it were was his relationship with Kicha. But then why had he encouraged him to chase after him after he’d already won his heart?

“Why did you stop trying to buy Ramesses off of Zahre?” he asked suddenly. “They both turned you down for years. And then as soon as I left you were content to just be with him and not own him. Why?”

That gave Ail’mer pause. He set down his wine glass and sat back in his chair, hands clasped in thought. Kicha could tell that his question had gotten the gears working in the other man’s head. Either Ail’mer hadn’t thought of why he had changed his tune, or he was coming up with a brilliant lie and Kicha was going to fall for it.

Ail’mer finally spoke up after a couple of minutes of silence.

“Part of why I chased after him so much was because I like the challenge of it all. Trying to get something that I can’t have is fun for me. That is why so many of my past affairs have been just that; affairs. There has only been one other who managed to capture my heart as well as Ramesses has, though they are long dead by this point. Which is another cruel irony in and of itself. My lifespan makes falling for anyone wholly mortal a cruel joke of the universe.”

He stopped again and took another drink of his wine. Kicha was fairly certain Ail’mer hadn’t shared this little bit of information with Ramesses. The fact that he was willing to share it with  _ him _ felt both strange and special. Kicha had come down here to make a social call but hadn’t expected it to work out so well so quickly.

“I stopped trying to “chase” after Ramesses after seeing how he was doing when you left. I had arrived in town looking for nothing more than a good time with my courtesan of choice, but when I got up to his room he seemed off. Being Ramesses, he tried to play it off as if nothing was wrong, but I could tell his usual bounce of energy was missing. Once he finally told me all that had happened... I don’t know. It was like a switch had been flipped in my mind. Seeing him so down about how you left things took all the fun out of the chase. There is no cat and mouse when the mouse has lost interest.”

“Well, there is, the mouse is just dead by that point,” Kicha joked, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. He knew how bad he had left Ramesses and wasn’t keen on being reminded about it so often. Ramesses and himself had spoken about it once they’d been reunited and there were no hard feelings on his lover's end.

That didn’t make him feel less guilty about it though.

“Exactly. There’s no fun in chasing a dead mouse. So instead of going after what wasn’t there, I decided to change it up. I paid for the day and instead of sex, I told him I just wanted to talk. He could get what he needed off his chest and I was content to just listen. It helped his mood so much I paid for the rest of the week and told him he could do whatever he wanted. I didn’t even have to be there. If he wanted I would pay for him to essentially have the week off with no worry. Ramesses wanted the company so I stayed for the week and I guess it happened during that time,” Ail’mer finished.

“So you saw that he wasn’t into the game anymore and then ended up falling for him later?” Kicha asked.

Ail’mer leveled a look at him. They had both finished their glasses of wine and Ail’mer was pouring another for himself. Kicha accepted a second glass as well while he waited for the man to answer. The whole situation just sounded too good to be true. The guy spends years chasing after a courtesan only to finally get him once he stops trying so much. Though now that he thought about it a similar thing had happened to him.

Kicha had gone to Zahre’s on a whim when the woman had talked him into it at a party. He hadn’t even asked for a male courtesan when he’d paid her and yet she had seen right through him and offered up her prized Gilded Rose. Ramesses confessed he had fallen for him pretty early on that day, but for Kicha it had taken a little longer. Sure, he developed a crush after a couple of days but he hadn’t fallen in love with the man for some time. It had taken him even longer to admit it, both to himself and out loud.

“What made you fall for him?” Ail’mer asked.

He should have expected that question. Especially after all the personal questions he was asking. A few years ago he would have come up with some reason that kept him from sounding like a romantic sap. He wasn’t so sure love had been a factor in his parent's marriage, so the idea of being in love wasn’t something he was taught to cherish. Everything was different now. Getting away from toxic family members did wonders for the psyche.

“I didn’t really fall for one thing in particular. I mean, his attractiveness goes without saying,” he said. Ail’mer nodded in agreement and he continued. “His excitement is infectious, he sincerely listens to everything you say and he tries so hard to make people happy. It’s hard not to find something to love in a person like that.”

“Those are my thoughts exactly. Once I stopped looking at him as a trophy and like an actual person it wasn’t hard to grow attached.”

“And you’re okay with sharing?” Kicha asked.

“Did Ramesses tell you what I told him when he decided to go after you?”

Kicha shook his head. Ramesses had only told him about Ail’mer encouraging the journey.

“I told him to either bring you back to both of us or at least invite me to the wedding. I knew his heart had a home in yours from the beginning and I’ve been willing to share that or step aside. I was more shocked you were fine with this arrangement than anything else,” Ail’mer said.

Kicha chuckled at the mention of a wedding. Ramesses would love nothing more than a huge wedding for the two of them. Before he was King the chances of that happening were next to none. Now that he had the crown though… He was going to have to think more about that.

“Does that help ease your worries about not knowing me just yet?”

“Yeah, a little bit,” he sighed.

“Then by all means continue. I will do my best to answer any questions you have.”

Oh, he had more questions. At least a dozen in fact. And true to his word, Ail’mer answered every one of them as best as he could. There were a couple that Kicha was a little embarrassed to ask about but the other man kept a calm demeanor the entire time; even though they’d gone through half the wine bottle by the end of it. Once the social call was over Kicha felt better about the situation he had put himself in and was actually starting to like this Ail’mer fellow. The two of them weren’t going to be leaping into each other’s arms anytime soon, but he felt better about him being around.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last full chapter I have written out so far. I've got a good chunk of chapter six done though, so it'll be posted within a few days I hope.

**Chapter Five:**

Kicha suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He’d appointed Ail’mer as his Master of Trade four days ago. And for the last two days since his father had heard of the news, the man continued to demand a private audience with him in an effort to talk him out of the decision. Kicha had managed to ignore his arguments the day before, but now his father was back and spouting the same drivel all over again.

He was really starting to regret inviting him to the coronation. It was a smart move in terms of bolstering his reputation, but now he had to deal with his father on a regular basis again. This had not been part of the plan.

“How do you even know this man, Kicha? He’s not even a citizen of Rheteah. He just shows up one day and you give him a job of such importance? This is no way to start your reign as the King,” his father exclaimed.

They were in a private room for this conversation. His father was pacing in front of him while Kicha sat in a plush chair, resting his chin in his hand. He’d made sure two of his personal guards stayed in the room during this outburst. Not that he feared an attack from his father. It was more of a show of force than anything else.

_ I know him because he’s dating my boyfriend _ . Kicha thought to himself. He wanted to say the words aloud, but that would just lead to a bigger argument. His father had kept himself suspiciously quiet about his relationship with Ramesses after their initial conversation when he was crowned.

That was something else he had to keep an eye on. His father was all about tradition. Their house had been a very strict place where you followed his rules or you got nothing. If he had found out about his true relationship with Ramesses when he was still living at home Kicha would have been on the street almost immediately. Now that he was King his father could only threaten so much before he could be charged with treason.

Was it bad of him to wish for that outcome? It would certainly get the man out of his hair.

“I know what I’m doing, Father. Believe it or not, I actually thought about the appointment several days before his arrival and even asked for him before I was crowned. I’m not flying as blindly as you might think,” he said.

“How could you have asked for him if you have never met before?” his father asked.

“Through a mutual acquaintance. That is generally how people who don’t know each other meet.”

“You mean that golden one you decided to make your consort?” his father accused.

There was the venom he was expecting. 

Kicha immediately sat up straighter and glared at his father. “His name is Ramesses and if you must know, yes, that is how I learned about Ail’mer. He’s been a merchant for longer than your lifetime and has done a great job so far. Being a pedaller of magical runic items gives him the perfect foundation for succeeding as a Trade Master.”

“It sounds to me like you are letting that consort have more of a voice in your cabinet than your own father.”

_ Gee, I wonder why,  _ he thought and tried not to roll his eyes again.

“What would you have me do?” Kicha asked tiredly.

“Rescind your appointment and put me in his place. I have managed our household without issue and know how the politics in this city work better than he does. And if you must keep him around, place him in some other area with less importance.”

Kicha sighed and shifted in his seat, giving his father a serious look. He was going to turn him down again and it wasn’t going to go well.

“So you would like one of my first official acts as King to be reversing the appointment of one of my advisors in order to promote a family member in his place. How is that not going to have a negative impact on my reputation? I need the people to know I can do this job and going back on my word in order to make you happy is not going to give them confidence in me. It would only add fuel to the fire of those that still don’t think I have what it takes to be a proper ruler.”

His father’s face had gone redder with each word. Kicha expected him to start yelling any minute, but then his gaze moved to the two guards near the door and the color started to fade from his face until he was his normal pale porcelain color. It was good to know the mere presence of the guards put a leash on the man’s anger.

Two full minutes had passed before his father regained his composure and spoke up.

“I will see you tomorrow. Thank you for your time,  _ Your Majesty _ ,” he said with a bow and then stomped out of the room.

Kicha whistled a sigh of relief as soon as the door was closed. He slumped in his chair and scrubbed his hand down his face. He really didn’t want to have to deal with his father again tomorrow.

“Well, that could have gone sideways,” one of his guards, Ilene, said.

“You have no idea,” Kicha replied.

“You know you don’t have to honor him with an audience, Your Majesty,” his other guard, Dio, said.

“I know, but I’m not sure I want to deal with the fallout of ignoring him just yet. I haven’t been here long enough to try and pull something like that.”

“The moment you were crowned you were here long enough to pull something like that. What the King says goes. If you want him to leave you alone we can make it happen,” Ilene said.

“And she means that in the least threatening way possible, Your Majesty.”

Kicha laughed. “Oh, I’m sure.” 

He was really starting to like his personal guards. They weren’t stuck up, jocks liked the ones outside the palace. Sure, they were older than him so it felt a little weird being the boss of them. But they had good senses of humor and were willing to put up with him still learning the job. “Thank you for staying here for the meeting. I feel for you two having to stand through that. Again.”

“It’s our job. Believe me, we have had to stand through worse. At least us being here makes him feel threatened,” Ilene said.

He nodded. “Fair point.”

That gave him an idea actually, but he would need to talk to Ramesses about it first. Probably Ail’mer too for good measure. That man was a fountain of information. Kicha blamed his age. You don’t get to be over two hundred years old without learning at least something about the world.

* * *

Ramesses was in the library pouring through shelves and shelves of books when Kicha walked in looking for him. Ail’mer was sitting on a couch nearby taking notes and looked up as the king walked in.

“Your father let you go so soon?” Ail’mer asked, setting a pair of reading glasses aside with his notes.

Kicha groaned and sat down. He laid back in a very undignified manner and just let his head hang over the back end of the chair. The crown slipped a little, but his horns helped to keep it in place. Tiefling anatomy at it’s finest.

“His arguments were the same as yesterday and I may have told him enough to make him angry enough to storm out in a dignified manner,” he said.

The sound of footsteps on carpeting could be heard and soon Ramesses’s face appeared looming over Kicha’s. His teal hair was only half pulled back, so several strands hung down and framed his face as he looked at the tired expression on Kicha’s face. He gave him a quick kiss that wiped the look off for a moment until it returned.

“Is he still bothering you about giving Ail’mer the job he wanted?” Ramesses asked with a frown.

“Yes, and now he likes it even less because I told him I met Ail’mer through you,” Kicha replied.

Ramesses frowned. “He really doesn’t like me, does he?”

“He doesn’t approve of anything that deviates from his idea of tradition. His house, his rules used to be a very big thing growing up. Now that this whole city is very much  _ my  _ house and  _ my _ rules it’s a challenge to his authority. And I keep pushing that envelope by enforcing my position as king in his presence. So he’s not particularly happy with any of us at the moment.”

“So he has given up on his prospects then?” Ail’mer asked.

He shook his head and sat up. Ramesses came around and immediately settled himself on his lap, draping his legs over the side of the chair and leaning against him.

“When he stormed off he mentioned coming back tomorrow for another private meeting. I get the sense he is going to keep coming at me with this until I give in to at least one of his demands,” Kicha said. He had his arm around Ramesses and was idly running his hand along his back while they talked.

“He is testing you like a child tests their limits with their parents,” Ail’mer said.

“Except I’m not the child anymore. I’m in charge of a kingdom of people, himself included, and he needs to learn his place. He can tell me his opinion, but he needs to know that I’m not necessarily going to take it into account when I make my own decisions.”

Something clicked in Ramesses’s mind and the realization was clear on his face. “That’s what’s eating at him. You hold my opinion far above his own and he hates it. All the other issues with me are obvious, but this is the one bothering him right now.”

“There is that too. I have an idea that I wanted to run by the two of you. It’s stupid and will no doubt cause more problems for me, but it will help me draw this line in the sand. My father needs to know his place and I’m afraid I will need backup to make him understand,” Kicha said.

“Your personal guards are not enough?” AIl’mer joked.

Kicha laughed bitterly. “When it comes to my father? Not in the slightest.”

“What is your idea then?” Ramesses asked.

“First I’m going to make a point to be busy doing my job. I’ve put aside several meetings just to listen to his demands and if I continue this any longer it’s going to reflect badly on my reign. Putting the kingdom at large ahead of his own needs is as good a place as any to put my foot down.” He paused as the other two nodded their agreement. “The second part puts you two in the line of fire I’m afraid.”

That was what he was worried about the most; putting Ramesses and Ail’mer in the line of fire when it came to his father's anger. As far as he knew there wasn’t anything he could do to them directly without being accused of treason, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying if this plan went up in smoke. 

“We can’t freely decide to be in the front line without knowing what we’re getting into. What’s the rest of your idea?” Ail’mer asked, encouraging him to continue.

“This all sounds like a solid idea to me so far,” Ramesses said.

“The rest of the plan is to have both of you in the next meeting with my father. Dio and Ilene will still be there, for obvious reasons, but I want the two of you there as a show of force and to voice your opinions on the situation.”

The room went quiet as Ramesses and Ail’mer thought over the plan. There really wasn’t much to it, but he had to do something before he lost his mind. After two days listening to him rant and rave already had him wanting to pull out his hair.

“What makes you think he will listen to us when he refuses to listen to you?” Ail’mer asked.

“Yes, while I love you Kicha, I’m not so sure about being so confrontational now that he knows I’m sleeping with you. He’s barely pleasant when I’m not in the room. I can’t imagine he will be any better with me standing right in front of him,” Ramesses said.

“At this point, I’m not so much concerned with him listening to any of us as I am about him finally understanding he can’t push me on this. I’m sure he will find something else to fight me on, but if this works it will delay him for a time.”

There was no doubt his father would latch onto some other ploy at gaining power and influence within this new government. If they could put him off for a time it would be worth whatever trouble his next meeting would bring. Kicha wasn’t willing to let his father try and worm his way into being the king in any circumstance; be it official or otherwise. This was his city to rule and his crown to wear. He had let his family push him around for too long and this confrontation was well past due.

“I know it’s going to be difficult, but that’s why I need the two of you there. My guards are only so effective. They are meant to protect my person, not necessarily my psyche. Dio and Ilene aren’t going to be able to speak up when my father comes at me with his words,” Kicha said.

Ail’mer nodded appreciatively with a slight smile on his face.

“So we are to be your second set of guards in a manner of speaking,” he said.

“Exactly,” Kicha exclaimed.

There was a pause as they digested this new nugget of information. Finally, the two of them nodded, willing to go along with the plan.

“If it will get him off your back even for a little bit, I think I can put up with being in a room with him for a while. What’s he going to do? Yell at me and call me a whore? That’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me by a long shot,” Ramesses said with a bitter laugh.

Ail’mer shook his head at Ramesses’s comment but agreed all the same. “Seeing as it is my job that has him in such a twist, it would be rude of me to refuse to help you in this situation. Sign me up.”

* * *

The next two days went by as expected. Kicha wasn’t lying when he said he was behind on council meetings and other official business after putting everything aside to listen to his father for two days. Psusen wasn’t happy with the news, but he accepted it for what it was and promised to come back after a few days with the demand that his son see him after all was said and done.

Those quiet days went by far too fast for anyone’s liking and it wasn’t long before Ramesses and Ail’mer had to figure out what to actually do during this next meeting with Psusen Briarwood.

A couple of options were tossed in the air: good guy bad guy, silent and intimidating, being entirely gaudy and open about their whole relationship with the three of them. All of them were thought over and immediately tossed out the window in favor of just being prepared to judge the situation based on Psusen’s mood.

If he came at them with venom then they would react in a similar sort, albeit more dignified and with manners befitting members of the royal court. 

It’s not like anyone would judge them if they didn’t anyway. But they were trying to paint themselves as the better people so they had to tread the line carefully.

Finally, the day of reckoning was upon them. The three of them, plus the two guards were all waiting in the designated meeting room awaiting Psusen’s arrival. Everything was set up in a smaller scale of the throne room which meant the large throne-like chair was set atop a platform in the back center of the room. The only difference now was there was an extra seat placed for Ail’mer.

Ramesses had been offered a chair of his own but decided against it in favor of sitting on the arm of Kicha’s own throne. He tried to argue for sitting in his lap, but Kicha put his foot down on that almost instantly. They had to at least try to look like they were taking this seriously.

So it was this image of Kicha sitting tall on his makeshift throne, an arm around Ramesses as he sat close to him, and Ail’mer being the perfect vision of comfort in his own chair, that Psusen Briarwood walked in on.

Psusen marched into the room mouth open, ready to speak and promptly froze as soon as he saw the group of them in front of him. Kicha watched his expression change from surprise to anger until a stoic mask slid into place.

He was dressed down compared to how they had seen him at the coronation, while still maintaining his wealthy image. Short hair combed back and gelled, a buttoned-up dress coat in a deep blue color with a silver ascot tucked into the dress shirt underneath, and expensive-looking black pants that were tucked into boots that looked even more expensive than the cloth they were hiding. All in all, he painted the portrait of a highly dignified man.

Kicha wasn’t so sure he would leave the palace looking or even feeling the same way. 

“I asked for a meeting with the King.  _ My son _ . Not all three of you,” he said, his voice clipped and unwavering.

_ And so it begins, _ Kicha thought to himself.

He stiffened, body going rigid as his father stalked into the room. He hid it well in his face. A mask of his own sliding into place in a way that was an echo of his father’s. It was almost eerie how they could act so similar when they were so different.

“You wanted to speak to me about the appointment of Mr. Do’ra. It only seemed fitting that I bring the man in question and the person responsible for his position. We can have a more cohesive conversation with all parties present now,” Kicha responded.

Psusen glared at the three of them.

Ramesses had his most pleasant smile on his face and he knew without looking that Ail’mer had a more somber expression on to balance it all out. 

This was the first time the elven man was meeting Kicha’s father and the experience had to be an interesting one if Ramesses’s own history was anything to go on.

“Have you come up with any valid points to argue with or are you going to use our familial relationship as your hill to die on, Father?”

In the past, these meetings were indirectly led by his father. The older man controlling the conversation at any chance he got and barely relenting so Kicha could get a word in. It was an old habit from when he was a child that neither of them seemed to have grown out of.

Even with the crown on his head, his father wanted to be in control of everything.

He might have just let him rant the whole time and tune him out if it weren’t for the other two people in the room with him. Having Ramesses sitting so close to him and Ail’mer as backup was more of a rock keeping him grounded than he wanted to admit. Seeing his father walk into the room and immediately judge what was before him triggered something inside him that was easier to direct with the people he cared about being so close.

“I am your father and deserve a seat of power equal to my status. That is what is traditional in this city when it comes to the ruling monarchs. To ensure the continued reign of the ruling family, immediate family members are to receive specific privileges. Granting me the title of Trade Master is the least of what you can do and of what I am asking.”

“Actually, the least of what I can do is give you nothing of the sort and tell you to live with it,” Kicha replied, cooly.

Psusen’s face turned bright red with anger, his fists clenched at his sides. There was no seat for him to sit in. The hope was that this meeting wouldn’t last long enough for him to require one.

Not that a chair would be offered anyway.

“That is not what is traditional for kings and queens in this city,” Psusen seethed through clenched teeth.

Kicha laughed darkly. His hand going still against Ramesses’s back.

“My reign can hardly be considered traditional and I’ve only been in this post for almost a month. My bid for the crown was nothing more than a speck on the council’s glasses. If it wasn’t for Oriana speaking up for me as her replacement and Ramesses providing a deeper insight into my semi-forced exile I wouldn’t be sitting where I am today. The two of them alone deserve higher positions than yourself for their efforts in making me king. What have you done?”

It was almost comical how easy it was to snap back at his father now that he wasn’t alone in the room with him. At the coronation he’d remained composed and vague during their conversation; not wanting to cause unnecessary drama so soon after his appointment. Even just a month of experience ruling made him feel better about dealing with this problem.

His father was affecting how he was able to run the kingdom and that wasn’t something he could allow to happen. Not when he wanted to be a good king. He wanted to prove to himself and countless others that he could do this job and the only way that was going to happen was if he started standing up for himself. 

“I raised you. That amounts to far more than simply handing you a crown to rule the city.”

“I wouldn’t call your parenting style the best way to raise me. I’d like to think Mother did a better job than you did and would she still be alive, I wouldn’t hesitate to offer her a position on my council. You on the other hand… I am finding it more and more difficult to find the strength to deal with you.”

Psusen bristled at that and Kicha could almost feel the heat coming off the man. The barely contained anger radiating off him in waves.

“I did not come here to be insulted by my own son. I find it interesting that you did not act this way when we were meeting one on one. Do these two have you on some sort of leash now?” Psusen accused.

Kicha laughed. All bitter and cruel. The look he gave his father was terrifying and the tender look he turned on Ramesses made it even more unnerving.

“Ramesses, would you say you have me on a leash?”

He got the hint and grinned back, running a hand through Kicha’s hair beneath the crown.

“Oh, not nearly as often as I would like. We do have some time off this weekend though. Maybe we can test out your father’s suggestion then. Hm?”

Kicha turned back to his father, his eyebrow arched in challenge, while Ramesses’s gaze never left his face.

It was a small thing. A little teasing that he knew would make his father uncomfortable. He’d said what he wanted and now what he wanted more than anything was for the man to leave. The easiest way to make that happen was to bring up his sex life with Ramesses. Whether the conversation was serious or not didn’t matter.

The sound of Psusen practically sputtering where he stood made the grin on his face even sweeter. He didn’t think the man could turn redder than he had before, but it would appear he was wrong. His normally pale skin now looked as red as the skin of Ramesses’s adopted mother Zahre. It was like a magic trick.

“Choose your words carefully, Father. I’ve lost my patience with you and I know what I’m doing. All the people in this room have faith in me and my decisions save for you. Perhaps it would do you some good to stay in your lane for a while longer. Let me do my job and get settled in the role before you start coming around and poking your nose into my affairs.”

Kicha didn’t even wait for a response before he waved a hand, dismissing his father from the room. Psusen stood there dumbfounded for a moment before he came to his senses. HIs gaze flickered between the three of them on the platform and then between the two guards flanking them.

While Ail’mer hadn’t said anything during this meeting, but Kicha caught him smiling sweetly at his father and wave the man off in a manner similar to his own.

“I believe the king has given you his decree on the matter. It’s best if you leave before you say something you will regret,” Ail’mer said.

Dio and Ilene took that as their cue and began to escort the shocked man out of the room.

Everyone was silent for a full minute once the door was closed and his footsteps could be heard retreating down the hall. Kicha finally let loose a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. That whole conversation had taken more out of him than he realized and all of a sudden he felt exhausted.

“Thank you two for being here for that,” Kicha said, sinking back down into his seat. His hand coming up to rub his face.

“We didn’t offer much in terms of an argument, but you’re welcome all the same, Your Majesty,” Ail’mer said.

“Just having you two in the room was a world of help. I wasn’t alone with him and that made it easier to speak my mind.” He leaned into him Ramesses and wrapped his arm around him. “And I couldn’t resist teasing him about the leash comment. It was too easy. Thank you for playing along with it.”

Ramesses laughed lightly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It immediately brought a smile to his face.

“You may have been joking about that, but I was being serious. We  _ do _ have some free time this weekend. And wouldn’t it be an even better joke to your father if it was true?”

Kicha leaned back and looked at him in surprise.

“Are you being serious or still joking with me?”

Ramesses grabbed Kicha’s collar and brought him close enough that they were nose to nose.

“You’ll find out this weekend,” he said and drew Kicha in for a kiss.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new challenger approaches! Kicha's father Psusen arrives at the annual Harvest Ball with a guest that threatens Ramesses and Kicha's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished chapter 6! Look at me writing all this stuff. As usual lemme know what you think! Leave kudos! All that fun stuff. :D

**Chapter Six**

The next several months went off without issue. As Kicha got accustomed to his duties as King the city itself seemed to settle into the groove as well. Now that the constant stream of acting monarchs was coming to an end it was easier for everyone to get used to having a single ruler once more. Not that _everyone_ was happy or agreed with who was running the kingdom and how he was doing it. But there weren’t riots and protests in the streets. That had to count for something.

It was Autumn now and the castle was bustling with activity as servants finished setting up for the annual Harvest Festival. New curtains had been hung up in dark oranges and even darker reds. Decor calling back to a plentiful harvest were arranged all over the palace. Even the hidden alcoves had been decorated.

A grand Harvest Ball was to be held in the evening and just like the coronation, every wealthy family was invited. Several foreign dignitaries had also been invited and had sent word of their arrival.

For the rest of the populace that couldn’t afford to attend the main event, a massive festival was planned to take over most, if not all, of the city. Vendor stalls were set up along the streets, performers were parked on every corner, and the center of the city had been turned into an outdoor carnival to celebrate the new season.

There was even a small parade with the new King at the center of it, much to his own embarrassment. Ramesses gracefully bowed out much to the surprise of his two lovers. For someone that loved any excuse to get dressed up and go out, he thought it was best if the royal consort stayed out of the parade.

At least for this one. All bets were off for the next big event in the city.

The parade was long over now and the palace was filling with party guests. Just a quick glance across the ballroom showed that there were more people than had attended the coronation and there were still people trickling in.

It was surreal.

“Someone sure is popular tonight,” Ramesses teased as another couple came up to them to wish them well in the coming holidays.

Kicha chuckled and rolled his eyes. “I think it’s just the crown. Most of these people wouldn’t care to wish me a happy anything without it.”

“So pessimistic,” Ramesses said and nudged him with his elbow. “Did you get bitten by a grump bug on that parade float or have you been replaced by someone else?”

It wasn’t like Kicha was usually a ray of sunshine. That was normally his job. But this sudden onset of negativity was a new development.

“No, it’s just been a long day and it’s not going to get any shorter. I didn’t get to sleep in like someone else because of how early I had to get up for the parade preparations,” Kicha said. He gave Ramesses a pointed look about sleeping in and Ramesses responded with a coy smile.

“Today will be over soon. Then you will have all the time in the world to sleep in tomorrow. If anyone comes to inquire about you I will fight them off at the doors so you may get your beauty rest.”

A grin spread across the King’s face. Whatever spell that had been bringing him down was broken by Ramesses’s teasing promise. He laughed and shook his head at the ridiculousness of what his lover was saying.

“Feeling better now?” Ramesses asked, leaning his head against Kicha’s shoulder.

“Yes, thank you. I think I would have lost my mind already if I didn’t have you here keeping me in line.”

“All in a day’s work, love.”

Ramesses planted a soft kiss to Kicha’s lips to cement the statement. It would have lasted longer if not for the constant stream of nobles coming to bestow their wishes upon the King. While Kicha greeted another foreign dignitary, he noticed the crowd parting near the entrance of the ballroom. Another guest had arrived and whoever they were, they had to be important enough for people to willingly move out of their way.

Ramesses raised a quizzical brow as he watched Psusen walk in with a strange woman on his arm. She looked younger than him, perhaps in her mid to late twenties, and a tiefling which was no strange thing. Her skin was pale enough to rival Oriana’s and judging by the way she was dressed and how high she held her head, it was obvious she was from the wealthy class.

If he squinted hard enough Ramesses could just make out a small hairpiece that gave the impression of a tiara on her head. It was nestled sweetly between pale red curls that were piled atop her head cascading downwards. 

She was beautiful that much was certain. But what was she doing with Kicha’s father? As far as he knew the man was a widower that didn’t want to share his wealth with anyone now that his wife was gone.

“Love, your father is here,” Ramesses said, drawing Kicha’s attention. “And he’s brought someone with him.”

The foreign diplomat excused himself and the King turned to look in the direction Ramesses had indicated. A moment of panic chased across his features before he steeled himself.

“Shit,” Kicha muttered under his breath.

He was frowning in the direction of the woman and his father. It didn’t look like anger from what Ramesses could tell and that only served to confuse him even more.

“Who is she?” he asked just as Kicha said, “Wait here a moment.” And then hurried into the crowd after the two of them.

Ramesses stood there dumbfounded. Who was that woman and what had just happened?

A servant rushing by noticed his shocked expression and brought him back to reality. “Ramesses? Are you alright?”

“I’m not sure. Could you do me a favor?”

“Of course, sir.”

* * *

Kicha carefully, but quickly, made his way through the crowded hall of people to where his father and Yolanda were at the refreshment table. He was trying not to let his panic show, but he had the feeling he was doing a poor job of it. Yolanda shouldn’t be here.

Why the hell was she here?

“Father,” he said by way of greeting as he approached.

The two of them turned, no longer arm in arm. Psusen was grinning like he knew something he didn’t. That didn’t make him feel any better.

Kicha didn’t look at Yolanda. He was pointedly ignoring her.

“Ah, Kicha. Sorry I’m late to the festivities. Your Majesty will have to forgive me, I was surprised by a visit from our friends the Moorings and Yolanda just couldn’t miss a party such as this. Especially now that you’re the King,” his father said. Each word was laced with honey. Like he was just waiting for the trap to be snapped shut.

His father pulled Yolanda forward so he was forced to acknowledge her presence. She offered him a deep curtsey that he noticed drew far too much attention to how low cut her lilac-colored dress was. He offered her a curt nod in return.

“Congratulations on the crown, Kicha. I knew you’d do some good in the world once you stopped following Kilichar around,” Yolanda said sweetly.

“Yes, I’m sure. Yolanda, would you mind if I borrowed my father for a moment?” he didn’t even wait for a response. He grabbed his father's arm and pulled him over to the edge of the crowded dance hall.

“What is she doing here?” he hissed.

Psusen’s look of triumph was clear on his face. The smug, shit-eating grin Kicha had known growing up was back in place. “She came to see you. Now that you’re back in town for good, and have finally settled in, the arranged marriage can continue on as planned.”

“That arrangement was called off when I left the city with Kilichar.”

“Yes, but now that you’re back and wearing the crown her parents all but fell over themselves when I offered to put the marriage back on. You may be King, but it’s still within my rights as your father to plan for your future. And that future involves a wealthy match and heirs, not that consort you’ve grown attached to.”

Kicha wanted to scream. He wanted to throttle his father until there was nothing left but a cold corpse on the floor. He knew what he was doing. They’d turned his father down for a position as an advisor so he’d spent months finding out the best possible way to get what he wanted and worm his way under Kicha’s skin.

Well, he’d certainly found the best way to do it.

“Father, you can’t just put my marriage to Yolanda back on the table without my input,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Seeing as we never required your input before I believe I have every right to.”

“I’m the King.”

“Exactly. That is all the more reason for the match and to make sure you do right by this city. Maybe she’ll even let you keep that consort on the side. All monarchs have a mistress of some sort after a while.”

The edges of his vision were practically turning red with how quickly his anger was rising. He knew his father was one to meddle into things that he shouldn’t, but he’d thought this whole arranged marriage bullshit was behind them. It had been something talked about when he was younger and knew it was to be expected once they both were the right age. But once he’d fled the city with Kilichar it had been called off for fear of a scandal. It had been so long since then that Kicha had just assumed Yolanda was married off to someone else.

Apparently not.

And now Ramesses was going to get caught in the middle of this mess.

Ramesses!

Kicha nearly swore again and looked around for the teal haired man. He’d left him without offering any kind of explanation and ran off to speak with his father. There was no telling what his lover was thinking right now. He’d kept quiet about the arranged marriage plans when they were together before he left. It would have just added a weird layer of tension to everything that was already tense with having to hide their relationship. Bringing it up wouldn’t have helped anything.

Now it seemed there was going to be a very real conversation about this happening soon.

He spotted the golden and teal coloring of his consort across the dance hall where he left him. Ail’mer was with him now and the two looked like they were deep in conversation. They weren’t looking over here which made him feel oddly relieved. Kicha was going to need to figure out the best way to bring it up with Ramesses. There was no way he was going to go through with this whole marriage plot, but it wasn’t too frivolous to ignore either.

“Looks like he’s having a fine time without you. Why don’t you spend some time with Yolanda out on the dance floor? Her family traveled quite a long way to see you. Canceled their holiday trip overseas and everything just to attend the new King’s Harvest Ball. It wouldn’t be proper to turn her away so soon.”

Kicha ground his teeth and glared at his father. He was about to tell him to fuck off and abandon all pretenses of being proper, but he didn’t know what good that would do other than making him feel better. Knowing his father he would just make it look like Kicha was refusing to dance with a noblewoman for no good reason. Then the rumors would start and… 

Fuck.

“One dance. That is all she’s getting from me and I mean it,” he said and all but stomped off to where Yolanda was waiting.

* * *

Ail’mer and Ramesses were keeping an eye on what was going on, but only from the corner of their eyes. The servant Ramesses had sent off to eavesdrop was slowly making her way back to them to avoid looking too suspicious. Judging from the look on her face whatever news she was bringing wasn’t good.

“What are your suspicions telling you, Little One?” Ail’mer asked, quietly.

“Nothing good,” Ramesses replied.  


The servant girl joined them, though she made it look like she was busying herself with clearing the small table they had been dining at so it wasn’t obvious they were all talking.

“Did you hear what’s going on?” Ramesses whispered.

“His majesty’s father says the woman is for his arranged marriage. Someone leftover from his days as a nobleman. The King did not look happy about her being here,” the girl responded.

Ramesses had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling. He knew Psusen wasn’t happy with them, but this was taking it to a whole new level.

“Thank you for the favor. Keep this to yourself for the time being,” he said and dismissed her.

Once she was gone he glanced over to where Kicha and his father had been talking. They had vanished. Where had the two of them gone?

“I believe your man is over there, Little One.”

Ail’mer gestured to over on the dance floor for Ramesses to see. Kicha was arm in arm with the mysterious woman, twirling one another along the floor. She was smiling like there was nothing wrong with the world, but at least Kicha had that fake grin he wore when someone was forcing him to play along. He’d seen it enough when they’d had to pretend to not be dating to know what it looked like.

He took a step towards them, fully intending to break up their dance when he felt Ail’mer’s hand on his shoulder.

“Be calm, Ramesses. It’s just a dance,” Ail’mer said calmly.  


“Yes, with a woman his father is planning on forcing him to marry,” Ramesses hissed quietly. The music was loud enough he didn’t think anyone heard, but he still didn’t want to broadcast it to the world.

“They are not married yet. Causing a scene now will only create more problems.”

“But she’s got her hands all over him!”

“Be that as it may, there is not much you can do right now. Everyone here would love their turn to dance with the King. To the guests, it’s nothing more than him allowing a turn with another party guest.”

“His father is trying to undermine me,” Ramesses said.

“And you will be letting him get away with it if you go out there and cause a scene. This is politics at its best and worse, Little One. We are going to have to play his game if we are going to survive,” Ail’mer said, his voice steady.

Ramesses relented. It was hard to admit it when there was an active threat to his relationship out on the dance floor, but Ail’mer was right. If he stormed out there and broke up Kicha and that woman’s dance it would look bad on him, not her.

It didn’t matter that plenty of other people, both men, women, and everything in-between, had danced with the king without so much as a fuss from himself. People would take this one instance of the consort getting in the middle of it as a major scandal. One that the crown couldn’t afford right now.

“You’re right,” he sighed. “What do you suggest we do?”

“We do what is hardest to do; wait and see what happens. It’s clear to the two of us that our King is not too happy about this sudden turn of events. But acting without knowing all the cards on the table is only going to do more harm than good,” Ail’mer said. “And besides, what better form of punishment for his father than for us to act as if nothing he does matters?”

“Alright, but I’m not going to be happy about it,” Ramesses said and crossed his arms, pouting.

“I can’t fathom why,” Ail’mer chuckled and reached for Ramesses’s hands. “Would you like me to help get your mind off of the problem while our King is otherwise occupied?”

“Please.”  


Ramesses smiled as Ail’mer took his hands and led him out onto the dance floor. It was just the type of distraction he needed. Well, there were a couple of other ways Ail’mer could have distracted him, but they couldn’t be performed in public. Not decently anyway.

The couple twirled around the dance floor; Ramesses leaning his head on Ail’mer’s chest to keep his gaze off the rest of the bodies twirling around them. The point was for him to keep his mind off of whatever Psusen was trying to do to his relationship with Kicha. It wouldn’t do to have him glimpse the three of them and get worried all over again.

Once Kicha managed to get away from the woman, Ramesses would ask him about the situation. All he had to do was stay with Ail’mer and wait.

* * *

Kicha called the Harvest Ball to a close sometime around two in the morning. A good number of the party guests had all left, Yolanda and his father included, and those that were still in attendance were more than happy to have the excuse to leave without looking rude. Ramesses and Ail’mer had retired to their rooms at sometime after midnight.

Once the last group of partygoers was being escorted out, Kicha made a quick exit out of the ballroom and straight to his bedroom. He wanted nothing more than to strip off the layers upon layers of clothing and fall into bed next to Ramesses. But when he walked into their room the chances of that happening right away dropped down to zero.

Ramesses and Ail’mer were both lounging around in the living area both having changed out of their party clothes. His consort was in a more modest set of cotton sleepwear; long grey sleeves going past his wrists and a matching set of long pants. Ail’mer was wrapped in what Kicha had come to assume was his own set of pajamas, a plush robe, and simple pants. Their conversation stopped as soon as Kicha walked in and they both looked up.

“Did you finally send all the partiers home?” Ail’mer asked.

“Yes,” Kicha replied, drawing the word out and raising a questioning brow. “And now that they’re gone I would like to finally go to bed and sleep until noon, but seeing as the two of you are still awake I get the feeling that isn’t going to happen. Correct?”

Ail’mer silently looked over at Ramesses. The golden one was fidgeting with the long sleeves of his shirt. Too nervous to bring up what was eating away at him.

“You are the one that wanted to talk about this so late at night, Ramesses. Speak if it will let you sleep better tonight,” he said lightly.

Kicha moved across the room to take his crown off and set it aside before joining Ramesses and Ail’mer on the couch. He could tell this conversation was going to be a long one. One that he had been hoping to put until the morning when he had more time to think about what to say.

Call it cowardice, but he’d avoided Ramesses for some time after his forced dance with Yolanda to give himself time to come up with a plausible explanation. That hadn’t exactly worked out during the festivities and now here he was unprepared as ever.

It sucked.

Ramesses sighed after giving up on destroying his shirt sleeve with his fingers. It wasn’t like him to worry holes into clothing, so Kicha knew this whole situation was already weighing down on the man. That was what he had hoped to avoid and was already failing.

“I wanted to ask you about that woman your father brought to the ball. I sort of sent a servant to go spy on the three of you and she overheard your father threatening you with a former arranged marriage,” Ramesses said, his voice trailing off. “And then you were avoiding me after he made you dance with her so I didn’t know the best way to approach you on the subject.”

“So you decided to corner me in our bedroom at two in the morning because it sounded like a good idea?” Kicha joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

The look Ramesses gave him in response killed the laugh in his throat. It was Kicha’s turn to sigh.

“I’m sorry. I’m tired and trying to break the tension in the room,” he said. “Yes, my father brought Yolanda tonight in an attempt to worm his way back into our lives. The two of us were betrothed to each other when we were younger and would be married now if I hadn’t left the city with Kilichar. As soon as that happened the marriage was called off to save face before my cousin or myself did something stupid. Now my father is trying to get the arrangement back on now that I have the throne.”

“No better prize than the King of the city,” Ail’mer said.

“Their thoughts exactly,” Kicha replied with a nod.

“He can’t actually force you to marry her though. You’re the one in charge, not him,” Ramesses said.

This was the part Kicha wasn’t sure about. His father seemed to think that there would be no way to contest the marriage because it was within his rights as a parent. Back when he’d been a nobleman his father would be absolutely correct. Now that Kicha and a crown though he was a little skeptic. Of course, he hadn’t read over the laws on the subject because he hadn’t expected it to ever come up while he was King.

Evidently he was mistaken.

“My father seems to think otherwise. He claims it is still within his right as my father to plan for my future, which now includes the future of the city. This is his way of doing just that. Organizing a preferred marriage that will elevate another wealthy house in the city and secure an heir for the lineage. I want to say he’s entirely out of his mind, but I can’t be sure until I take a look at the laws.”

“Which means there’s a chance he knows what he’s talking about,” Ramesses said.

“Unfortunately.”

“Assuming he is right about all of this. What stops you from changing the laws yourself to suit your own needs?” Ail’mer asked.

“Nothing as far as I’m concerned. I imagine my father will have thought of that and has a way around it though. We’ve given him months to think about how he was going to worm his way back in and he didn’t disappoint,” Kicha sighed and rubbed his hands down his face. “It looks like I’m going to have an early morning tomorrow as well.”

Ramesses leaned over so his head was resting on Kicha’s shoulder as he looked up at him. The fact that it took him this long to seek some physical contact was not a good sign of how he was taking all of this.

“I’ll wake up early with you so we can both go over the laws and everything. I want to find out how to get around this as much as you do. Your father is trying to get back at you as much as he is me and I’m not going to let him get away with it,” he said.

Kicha kissed the top of Ramesses’s head and wrapped an arm around him. He hated seeing Ramesses worried like this. Normally the man was all cuddles and smiles all the time. Even when he was tired he still kept that bounce in his personality that never failed to bring up the mood of the room. Right now he was quiet, closed off, and subdued.

It was heartbreaking to witness and Kicha was willing to do anything to relieve the worry. This night was supposed to be a fun celebration of the changing of the seasons and instead, it was being taken over by his overbearing family. He’d thought this had all been over and dealt with, but the universe always had other plans.

“I’ll see what I can dig up as well. While I may not be as informed on the entirety of this city's political practices when it comes to familial issues, I’m sure three pairs of eyes searching are better than one,” Ail’mer said.

“Thank you. It will help when I am undoubtedly called to do some task as the crown. Only a fool would believe I would be given the necessary time to search the archives for as long as I wish,” Kicha nodded his thanks to Ail’mer as he spoke.

Ail’mer offered him a kind smile and stood up to leave. “Well, we’d best get some sleep if we are going to storm the shelves bright and early tomorrow morning.” He walked over and planted a light kiss on Ramesses’s head, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t worry too much, Little One. We will figure this out before it all goes upside down.”

Ramesses offered him a slight smile and blew a kiss in his direction. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Ail’mer said to the both of them and left via the hidden passageway that led to his own chambers.

With Ail’mer gone and the night finally coming to a close, Kicha relaxed into the couch with Ramesses curled up next to him. The stress of the day finally started to melt away. Sure, his father was trying to interfere with his relationship and his crown; but the three of them had a plan and everything would work in the end. It had to. Kicha couldn’t bring himself to think about what would happen if they couldn’t think of a way to get around his father’s plans.

That line of thinking was only going to lead to negativity that they didn’t need right now.

He had just started to fall asleep when Ramesses stirred next to him. His lover sat up and pulled away from where he had been cuddling against his side.

“Can I ask you something else about Yolanda and the arranged marriage?” Ramesses asked him quietly.

Kicha bit back a yawn and nodded. “Of course.”

“You two were engaged, technically speaking, when you met me, right?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

He had a feeling he knew where Ramesses’s next line of thinking was going to be.

“Were you ever going to tell me about it when we were dating before or keep it a secret from me like we kept our relationship secret from your family?” Ramesses asked, his furrowed in worry.

He knew Ramesses was going to ask that. It was a conversation they should have had before he had left the city with Kilichar. Long before that. But he’d been too afraid to bring up the subject; too scared that it would ruin the relationship.

The two of them had never brought up the idea of marriage directly before he had been crowned. Even though Ramesses had made it clear as day that he would love having a huge lavish wedding with everyone invited and decorations pouring all over the place. It just hadn’t been an option for the two of them because of what Kicha’s family expected of him.

Kicha had planned on telling Ramesses about the arranged marriage when it got closer to actually happening. Until then he could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted and put the notion of forced marriage out of his mind for as long as possible.

Now he was seeing the fallout of that decision.

“It wasn’t like we had a say in the matter though. I was told from the moment I could talk that I was expected to marry a woman of equal or better money than our family in order to ensure our status among the rich. When I was old enough to ask whether or not I had a say in who this woman was it had already been determined for me.”

Ramesses frowned. “And the fact that it was assumed to be a woman right off the bat probably didn’t help much.”

Kicha chuckled darkly and nodded. “While I’m just as attracted to women as I am to men, yes that did not help very much. Unfortunately, my family is one of the ones that are intently focused on funds and heirs. Anything that gets in the way of that is a threat and should be dealt with as such.”

“There are other ways to having an heir than just the usual way,” Ramesses said, unable to stop himself from cracking a smile.

“Oh, but that would mean my father would have to acknowledge that anything that deviates from tradition as being perfectly fine,” he replied with a smile of his own.

Just that thought alone was so absurd that Kicha couldn’t help but start laughing at the ridiculousness of it. Ramesses joined him and everything that was going wrong with the night washed away. Hearing his laugh after seeing how worried he had been when Kicha had walked into the room was like a weight being lifted off his shoulders.

If Ramesses could still laugh then they would be okay.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ramesses and company try and dig through old library books in an attempt to find an out for the arranged marriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a quarantine Easter present for everyone who celebrates and a happy Sunday to all that don't. :D I'm sorry for the slight format change. I realized removing the indents is easier on me so we'll go with this for the future. Lemme know what you think and I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 7:**

The next morning Ramesses and Kicha woke up early as planned and met up with Ail’mer in the palace library. The room was large and sectioned off to make searching a little easier on the guests that came in. Shelves lined the tall walls and smaller bookshelves scattered around the large room were broken up by reading nooks made from plush armchairs and small couches. A couple of areas had plain tables and desks where anyone focusing on mass research could camp out.

Which was what the three of them did; claiming a table far into the section of the library that housed the scrolls and books on laws and decrees in the city. Local history books made up the majority of the library with other locations making up the rest. Some sections had been gifts from one monarch to the next or were meant to impress the parents of a hopeful bride or groom.

Normally, Ramesses would comb the shelves determined to find at least one romance novel hidden among the shelves. He’d failed to come up with anything the handful of times he’d searched over the months, but he was certain there had to be something of interest in this place other than dusty history and law books.

His search for romance would have to wait though. Today was all about the dusty books he never thought he would be trying to read through. They’d only been at it for a little over three hours and he already had a headache.

Ramesses set the book aside, only the second he’d been able to get through, and looked over to where Kicha was pouring through his own stack. His love was already halfway through book number six. A glance to his left showed that Ail’mer was at a similar pace.

“Please tell me one of you has found something,” Ramesses said.

“I have found bits and pieces, but nothing concrete yet,” Ail’mer responded. He didn’t even bother looking up from the book he was scanning through.

“One book leads me to another which leads me to another and on and on after that. Half of these old laws have all been removed already and lead to dead ends,” Kicha said with a huff.

Ramesses groaned and laid his head down on the table, burying his face in his arms. “This is going to take us weeks to get through.”

Kicha set his book down and looked over at him. “As long as I can keep stalling my father by making it seem like I’m playing along, we can take as long as we need. If I have to forgo sleep in order to make sure I never have to marry Yolanda, I’ll do it.”

“I’m just worried that the answers we’re looking for will be in one of the books I find, but I’ll miss it because I don’t understand ninety percent of what I’m reading. The letters are starting to swim across the page and all of these big words are not helping,” Ramesses mumbled.

The other two men exchanged a glance across the table that Ramesses missed because he was still looking at the tabletop.

Both of them were aware of the practically negative level of schooling he’d had growing up. The fact that he’d even managed to teach himself the basics of reading and writing was nothing short of a miracle. Even the simplest of novels took him weeks to get through, and that was when it was something he was interested in reading. Research at this magnitude was completely out of his league and it was showing.

“No one is rushing you, Little One. You are free to take breaks when you need them,” Ail’mer told him, reaching over to rest a hand on his arm.

The king stood up and walked around the table so he could sit next to Ramesses. He nudged his consort’s shoulder until he finally turned his head to look at him.

Ramesses looked more miserable than he had the night before. If that was even possible.

“The reason I wanted more eyes on this was so we can divide the workload so no one gets overwhelmed right away. That includes you. I can’t speak for Ail’mer, but I’m not expecting you to keep up with the formerly snotty rich kid who had tutors for everything imaginable. I can put my father off for as long as it takes,” Kicha said.

“I can’t relate to that specific style of upbringing, but I also don’t expect you to keep up with the two of us. Everyone reads at their own pace. That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Ail’mer said, backing up the king’s sentiment.

“I know… I just feel like I’m slowing everything down. I want this over and done with and I’m the one that’s taking so long to get through it all,” Ramesses said and sat up.

Kicha reached up, turned Ramesses’s face so they were looking eye to eye and then cupped his face so he wouldn’t look away.

“You are not slowing anything down. I want this over just as much as you do and I know my father better than anyone here. Whatever law he dug up and is using to try and get what he wants has no doubt been buried deep in the records to be lost to the ages. I didn’t expect us to find what we need immediately and I honestly don’t expect us to find it anytime soon. There will be no worrying or freaking out about this until I’m chained to a chair at the altar with a gag in my mouth,” Kicha said, smirking at the end. “Does that sound reasonable?”

Ramesses closed his eyes and relaxed into Kicha’s touch. It was unfair how easily the two men could calm his nerves. If he didn’t know better he would have thought it was some flavor of magic. Though matters of the heart could be their own form of magic in a way.

It was still a little uncanny though.

“Alright, no freaking out until it’s almost too late. I think I can manage that,” he said, smiling.

“Good,” Kicha replied. He planted a soft kiss on Ramesses’s lips and dropped his hands from his face. “I think we’ve all earned a break now. I’m starving.”

That got Ail’mer laughing from the other end of the table. “Are you always this focused on your stomach?”

“Only when it’s empty,” Ramesses answered with a laugh of his own. “Come on, let’s get something in you before you keel over.”

The three of them got up from the table, leaving their work behind, and headed for the library entrance. Ramesses was in the middle so he could hold both Kicha and Ail’mer’s hands as they went to find some food.

They had just made it out of the library when a messenger hurried over. The poor boy looked winded and immediately relieved to see the group of them.

“There you are, Your Majesty. I have been looking for you everywhere. Your father is here again asking to see you. He’s brought a Miss Yolanda Moorings with him as well,” the messenger said, his voice out of breath.

Ramesses frowned. He debated on tightening his grip on Kicha’s hand just so he wouldn’t be able to walk away so easily. Of course Psusen would show up with Yolanda in tow the next day. He knew they would be in the middle of looking for a way out and wanted to interrupt any efforts to foil his plans.

He was really starting to hate the man.

Kicha sighed and started to drop Ramesses’s hand, but Ramesses pulled him back.

“You don’t have to go see him,” he said.

“Someone’s got to keep him occupied and he’s not going to give either of you the time of day,” Kicha said, turning back to look at him. “It’ll be fine.”

“At least make him wait while you get something to eat.”

The King glanced back at where the messenger boy was waiting patiently.

“How long has my father been waiting while you tried to find us?”

“An hour, Your Majesty,” the boy said sheepishly.

“I think that’s about as much as he will be willing to wait without getting angry about it. I’ll go see what he wants and make sure to eat something at the same time,” Kicha said, turning back to the two of them. He looked over at Ail’mer before speaking again. “Make sure you two get something to eat too. We all skipped breakfast and doing the same for lunch isn’t going to help anyone. I’ll try to meet back with you two when I can get away.”

Ail’mer nodded and held up the hand that was intertwined with Ramesses’s.

“I will keep an eye on the Little One for both of us.”

“Thank you,” Kicha replied.

Ramesses opened his mouth to say he didn’t need anyone to keep an eye on him but Kicha moved too quickly and gave him a kiss that shut him up.

“I love you. I’ll be back when I can,” he said and then left to follow the messenger to where his father and Yolanda were waiting.

They stood and watched him walk away until the King was down the hall and out of sight. Ramesses immediately sighed and half-collapsed against Ail’mer’s side.

“I’m suddenly not feeling like getting anything for lunch,” he grumbled.

“And that is exactly why he put me in charge,” Ail’mer chuckled. “Come on, you can have dessert for lunch.”

The two of them continued down the hall to where lunch awaited. In an attempt at avoiding Psusen and company, they opted to dine in a side room to the kitchen. The meal was quiet despite the bustling of the staff moving through the halls and in the room next door. 

Ramesses made it halfway through a slice of cherry pie before he just started pushing it around his plate with a fork. The sugar had helped improve his mood a little bit, but once he was in a funk it was always hard for him to get out of it. Having the company nearby kept his mood from worsening, but he really wanted Kicha with him too. Or away from Psusen at the very least.

He hadn’t actually met Yolanda, so he couldn’t really judge her fairly at this point. For all he knew she was being forced into this just as much as Kicha was. She hadn’t been the main focus of his concern last night. It was mainly the idea of Kicha having to marry someone else that was the more pressing issue. The fact that the marriage would be to someone other than himself was what had him worried and angry.

He hadn’t left home to chase after the man; traveling over land and ocean, being forced through hellish tournaments and dealing with random rebellions he had no investment in, in order to bring him home just to lose him to a person he didn’t even love. It was an insult to both of them and all the trouble they’d gone through to keep their relationship intact.

“I think I’m full. Can we go back to the library? My eyes have rested enough that I should be good for another crack at one of the smaller books,” Ramesses said.

He pushed his plate back towards the center of the table as he stood. The pie was delicious, but he had no stomach for it at the moment.

“Of course,” Ail’mer said. He waved over a nearby member of the kitchen staff to gather the plates so they weren’t left behind and stood up to join Ramesses.

They headed back out into the main area of the palace going towards the library. Ramesses reached over to hold Ail’mer’s hand again and got a quick squeeze of reassurance as a reward.

“Everything will be alright, Little One. Remember, no panicking until he’s chained at the altar.”

“I know. I know,” Ramesses replied. He shook himself off, quite literally, and took a deep breath. “I just need to clear my head and get some fresh air. Want to take the long way around the garden?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.”

Ramesses led the way, swinging their intertwined hands as they went. The garden was one of his favorite things about living in the palace. It was half the size of the city park but packed full of beautiful flowers and towering trees. At the center of the garden was a pond full of fish of every color and the water was so clear you could stare at them for hours and it would look like they were floating in the air.

It was just the type of change in atmosphere he needed to reset his mood. A couple of minutes out in the fresh air and he would be ready to tackle the monster that was the law books waiting for them in the library.

They’d walked three feet into the garden when Ramesses heard laughter from the far corner. It sounded familiar and not in a good way.

He dropped Ail’mer’s hand and motioned for the man to stay quiet as he crept around a tree to look over in the corner. What he saw made his stomach drop and his half-eaten lunch threatened to come back up.

Kicha was sitting on a garden bench with Yolanda. The two of them were practically shoulder to shoulder and laughing without a care in the world. As far as he could tell Psusen was nowhere in sight which made this scene even weirder. Kicha’s laugh didn’t sound forced. It was genuine and that’s what scared him.

Sure, they hadn’t talked about Yolanda directly, but from how Kicha reacted to her at the ball he assumed they didn’t get along. Something wasn’t right here.

Ramesses felt Ail’mer come up behind him and look over his shoulder. Judging from the silence he knew he wasn’t the only person seeing this.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Ail’mer whispered.

“I’m not buying it. Something doesn’t feel right about this,” Ramesses said.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off the pair of them. Taking in all the details. Kicha looked the same as when they’d left him before lunch, apart from the relaxed look on his face. They hadn’t seen Yolanda arrive with Psusen so he couldn’t tell if she was acting any different. She was dressed more sensibly than last night. Her pale red hair was pulled back in a half-up style, her dark blue dress wasn’t cut nearly as low as the night before. The tiara headpiece was gone now, leaving the only piece of jewelry he could see a small jeweled necklace.

It was criminal how nice she looked.

“Perhaps he is merely playing along as he said he would,” Ail’mer suggested from behind.

Ramesses shook his head. “No, that’s not his fake laugh. Whatever is going on here is something else. I don’t know what, but I’m sure Psusen is to blame for it. Come on, let’s get back to the library.” 


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start getting stranger as the King starts acting out of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge wait between chapters and if this one seems shorter than the others. I'm finally getting back into the groove of things. Leave a comment and kudos and all that fun stuff. <3

**Chapter 8:**

Ramesses and Ail’mer spent the next few hours pouring through text after text in the library. Kicha was nowhere to be seen despite promising to join them as soon as he could. Ramesses’s headache was back with a vengeance but he was pointedly ignoring it. Something was very off about this whole situation and he wanted it to be over and done with before it got even worse. The more the clock ticked away, the more worried he grew that he was missing something.

“It’s getting late, Little One. We should start to call it a night,” Ail’mer said. He closed the book he had been searching through and pushed it aside. Another dead end.

“But we haven’t found anything,” Ramesses said, grabbing another book. “And Kicha hasn’t gotten back yet.”

Ail’mer stood up from his seat and moved over to where Ramesses had practically barricaded himself behind a wall of books. He gently took the book out of Ramesses’s hand and set it aside. “This is just day one. We’ve got plenty of time to fumble through dead ends until we find what we need. As for our distracted King, he was probably caught up in royal duties and is headed to bed himself now. We did keep him away from his duties most of the morning.”

Ramesses sighed and leaned back in the chair. ”But back in the garden…”

“That is a bit troublesome, but I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for what we saw. The only way to find out though is to go to bed and see what your man has to say.”

“How do you always have an answer for everything?” Ramesses asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“I have been alive for a good stretch longer than you. The wisdom comes with age,” Ail’mer responded. “And you have yet to need guidance in areas where I have no expertise in whatsoever.”

That made Ramesses finally smile and laugh. “Challenge accepted.”

The two of them cleaned up their mess as best as they could before leaving the library. Ail’mer walked Ramesses to his room, gave him a kiss, and wished him goodnight before heading to his own room.

Ramesses watched his second sweetie walk down the hall and turn the corner before he returned his attention to the closed door in front of him. There were no guards on duty, they were stationed down the hall. It was just him, a closed door, and the King that was probably on the other side.

It was weird. This uneasy feeling about what was going to happen when he opened the door was gnawing at his stomach and kept him from moving. He’d never felt this nervous approaching Kicha. It was always the opposite. If he could jump into the man’s arms at any given time he would do it. But after seeing Kicha in the garden with Yolanda…

Oh, who was he kidding? It wasn’t like he’d caught them kissing and hanging all over each other. They were just laughing. Maybe Ail’mer was right and it had just been a moment when Kicha was playing along with the scenario. He could have gotten better at playing the fool around people when he wasn’t around. That had to be it. Ramesses was just too good at reading Kicha to be a good test to see if he could fool others.

Holding onto that thought as tight as he could, Ramesses took a deep breath and pushed the door open and walked into his bedroom.

He walked in just as Kicha was getting up from the couch in their living area. His face lit up immediately and Ramesses did his best to hide his sigh of relief. Everything seemed back to normal for the moment.

Kicha met him in the middle of the room and the two embraced. 

“How did your meeting with Psusen go?” Ramesses asked.

Kicha pulled back from the embrace enough to see Ramesses’s face as he shrugged.

“He didn’t stay long after lunch. All he wanted was for me to show Yolanda around the grounds when he left.”

Ramesses searched Kicha’s expression for signs that something was amiss when he brought up Yolanda, but there was no hint of anything wrong. Kicha still made the same face of disdain when he mentioned Yolanda.

“I take it that didn’t go as well as you would have hoped?” he asked lightly. He wanted to bring up what he and AIl’mer had seen in the garden, but he just didn’t know how to bring it up. Just blurting it out felt awkward. Like an attack. He wasn’t trying to accuse Kicha of anything; he was just confused.

“No, I tried to pawn her off on some other noble, even a servant, at least a dozen times, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I ended up taking her around the gardens and then the art gallery before she would finally leave me to my work,” Kicha said with a sigh.

He sat back down on the couch and leaned back, hanging his head off the back of the couch.

“I’m so tired.”

Ramesses laughed and sat down next to him. He brought his hand up and ran his fingers through Kicha’s hair. The shoulder-length black strands were soft and Kicha immediately closed his eyes, sighing in content rather than frustration this time.

“I can imagine. AIl’mer and I missed you in the library,” Ramesses said.

Kicha’s eyes flew open and he sat up at the mention of the library.

“The library! I knew there was something I was forgetting about,” he turned his gaze over to Ramesses, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry. I told you two I would come back to help and I entirely forgot.”

“You forgot?” Ramesses asked with a frown. Something about that didn’t sit right with him. Kicha had been willing to forgo sleep in order to find a way out of this situation. Forgetting that after only a couple of hours didn’t make sense. “What do you mean?”

Kicha shrugged.

“I guess it just slipped my mind. After my father left I had to keep Yolanda busy. Once that was over I got dragged into my royal duties and by the time I finished my work I was ready for bed.” He paused for a moment and frowned. “Though now that you mention it… I got back here in time to eat a proper dinner and relax for almost two hours before you got back. Why didn’t I just eat in the library?”

Ramesses watched Kicha’s frown deepen as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. The king was still mumbling to himself when an idea struck.

“Do you remember when you stopped thinking about the library or all the research we need to do?” Ramesses asked.

Kicha nodded slowly, his gaze locked on a random point on the wall while he thought.

“It was in the back of my mind the entire time I was listening to my father talk through lunch. I was trying to get back to you two when I tried to pawn Yolanda off on someone else. And… that’s the last I can think of dwelling on it. The thought didn’t cross my mind again until you brought it up just now.”

“Does Yolanda know any magic?” Ramesses asked. He had a sneaking suspicion there was foul play going on here, but he wanted to be sure.

Kicha looked back at him and shook his head.

“I know what you’re thinking and no, she’s never had any kind of special magical abilities for as long as I’ve known her. This was probably just a fluke. I got lost in the chaos of having to deal with my father and it threw me off. I’m not going to let it happen again.”

“How can you be so sure? You said so yourself that you haven’t seen her in years. I didn’t have any magical talents when we first met. Ail’mer is the one that taught me how to work with that rune magic he uses. What if something similar happened to her?” Ramesses countered.

“I’ve seen how the two of you wield that magic, Yolanda did nothing of the sort,” Ramesses opened his mouth to interject but Kicha continued on. “And I’ve seen both Oriana and Kilichar use their own magic. Nothing close to their spells happened either. It was just a temporary lapse in judgment on my part. If someone was messing with my mind I would know it.”

Ramesses wasn’t so sure about that. While he had never been on the receiving end of a spell that messed with his mind, he was witness to others waking up from their influence a couple of times. The person always knew something was off after the spell wore off, but before that, they were completely unaware of any magical influence. Kicha didn’t seem like he was under some strange spell effect. But then what had happened?

The worry must have been showing on his face because Kicha reached up and held his face in his hands as he had in the library earlier. His hands were warm and Ramesses couldn’t help but nuzzle into them.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve just been stressed with having to deal with my father as of late. I’m sure after a good night’s rest I’ll be back to my usual frustrating self in no time,” Kicha said.

Ramesses smiled and couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him. It was criminal how quickly both Kicha and Ail’mer could put him at ease.

“You aren’t nearly as frustrating as you think you are,” he teased.

“To you, maybe not. But I’m sure there are many people that would disagree with you,” Kicha replied and dropped his hands from Ramesses’s face. “Now why don’t we get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

The next morning Ramesses woke up like he had just about every morning since Kicha was given the crown. The curtains were opened to allow warm sunlight to pour in through the window. The soft blankets that covered the bed had slipped down to rest against his lower back.

He stretched, reaching out to pull Kicha’s still sleeping form closer to him, but his arms found an empty half of the bed and a cooling pillow. His eyes snapped open immediately and he sat up, his gaze searching across the room.

Kicha?” Ramesses called out.

There was no answer.

The curtains around the bed had been tied back to each post leaving an unobstructed view of the rest of the bedroom. The bathroom door was left open, but it didn’t sound like anyone was inside. Even the living area seemed quiet. Not a sound to be heard from the closed double doors separating the two rooms.

“Kicha?” he called out again, a little louder this time.

He waited for a beat just to be sure but got no reply. That didn’t sit right with him. Kicha wouldn’t have left him to wake up alone without giving him a proper warning first. The last time he had done that was when Kicha had left the city with his cousin. Ramesses had been left alone in an inn with nothing but an empty bed, a letter with a hopeful promise, and a broken heart.

It wasn’t an experience he was keen on reliving and was still dealing with the raw emotions surrounding the whole situation. Hence the warnings whenever he was going to be waking up alone the next morning. Repeating this particular past mistake wasn’t something Kicha would have done lightly or without reason.

Ramesses gave one last glance around the room for any wayward notes just in case. Nothing had fallen off the nightstand or was left on the pillow so he grabbed his robe and hurried out into the living area.

The room was empty. Not even the pillows on the couch had been left out of place from last night. There was no sign of breakfast either which meant Kicha had left without eating. He added that to the mental list of odd things going on and headed to the door leading out into the hall.

Ilene and Dio, the king’s personal guards, were waiting outside the room and looked up when he stepped outside. That was odd. If Kicha wasn’t here then shouldn’t at least one of them be with him?

“Morning,” Ilene said in greeting.

Dio just gave him a small nod in acknowledgment.

“Morning,” Ramesses replied. “Have either of you seen Kicha?”

The two guards shared a look before Ilene spoke up.

“He left about an hour ago. A messenger came saying the woman from yesterday, Yolanda, was here asking for him.”

“We tried going with him since that’s our job, but he waved us off and took two newbies in our place,” Dio grumbled.

Ramesses’s frown grew with each work and soon enough he was leaning back against the closed bedroom door with his arms crossed tightly around his chest.

Something was definitely wrong. Not only did Kicha not wake him, not take the time to eat, but he hadn’t even taken his own guards with him when going to meet someone with questionable motives. It just didn’t make sense.

“Did he seem off when he left? Other than not taking you two with him?” he finally asked.

They were quiet for a few moments as they gave the question some thought. Each second felt like an eternity to Ramesses. He knew something was wrong, but he would need more proof other than his gut feeling. And right now his gut was twisting and turning with anxiety.

“The whole thing was a little weird,” Dio said. “First the messenger showed up to call for him, but he was already awake and dressed when he knocked on the door.”

“I would have figured after yesterday he would have wanted to sleep in as long as possible,” Ilene added.

“That was the plan,” Ramesses muttered. Then another question popped into his head. “What about his demeanor? Did he seem annoyed that he had to leave or like he was looking forward to it?”

The guards exchanged another look and Ramesses felt ready to sink to the floor. This was not good.

“He didn’t look annoyed, but he didn’t look upset about it either. Almost like he was expecting it and was alright with that,” Dio said quietly.

Ramesses sighed and hung his head. This whole thing was making him uncomfortable and upset. He needed to talk to Ail’mer. Someone or something was messing with Kicha, he just knew it. But he couldn’t be certain what exactly was going on with the king being pulled away these last two days. It had to have something to do with whatever Psuen was planning, but he needed to talk it over with someone first.

“I don’t trust this. I’m going to get dressed and go talk to Ail’mer. Can you two go find out where Kicha went and then come find me? I need to figure out what’s going on.”

He hardly waited for their response before he hurried back into his room to get dressed. His mind was full of questions, theories, and little nagging thoughts that he was ignoring.

Kicha loved him. He knew that. There was no denying that fact and whatever was going on...there had to be an explanation. Foul play. There was no way that after everything the two of them had gone through that he would sudden;y forget all of that for a match that would make his father happy.

Ramesses was dressed and ready to go before he knew it. Ilene and Dio had already left by the time he had stepped out of the room and headed for Ail’mer’s room.

The other man answered the door on the second knock. He looked surprised to see Ramesses there so early in the morning.

“Is something wrong, Little One?” Ail’mer asked.

Ramesses walked past him into the room. He practically threw himself down on the couch in Ail’mer’s sitting area before he said anything.

“I woke up alone and when I went to ask the guards if they knew where Kicha had gone, Ilene and Dio were still outside and they told me he had left taking two new guards with him. Yolanda came calling again this morning,” he said.

Ail’mer frowned and took a seat in a nearby chair. He leaned forward on his hands in thought before he finally said something.

“Did he mention anything about it when you spoke to him last night?”

Ramesses shook his head. “Nothing. When I asked him about not coming back to join us in the library he said the whole thing slipped his mind once his father left the two of them alone. It had been in the back of his mind the entire time Psusen was there, but once he left the room it was like he took the thoughts with him. It took me bringing it up for him to remember it in the first place.”

“Perhaps the stress has just gotten to him more than he has realized. Running a city while having familial problems cannot be an easy thing to deal with.”

“It’s not just the stress. Something fishy is going on and it has something to do with that woman and his father.” Ramesses paused. “I woke up alone, Ail’mer. He didn’t so much as wake me up to let me know he was leaving. That doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but in our relationship, it is. He wouldn’t have done it without reason.”

“Well, if it’s as big a deal as you say it is, maybe our king did it on purpose. It could be his way of telling you something is wrong without saying it outright for whatever reason,” Ail’mer said.

Ramesses thought that over. It was possible, but then why couldn’t Kicha say anything directly? There had to be some connection to how he was acting and what he wasn’t saying or doing. It was no coincidence that all of this started the minute Psusen had arrived with Yolanda. And if Kicha couldn’t tell him what was going on there was no chance of his father talking. But maybe he could get something out of Yolanda.

It was worth a shot. He’d yet to speak with her, She could be a pawn in this game just as much as they were. And there was only one way to find that out.

“I need to talk to Yolanda,” Ramesses said suddenly.

“You— Are you sure that’s wise, Little One?” Ail’mer asked.

“No, but it’s the only sane option I have at the moment. Something is going on and I need to know what it is. And if Kicha can’t or won’t tell me—”

A knock at the door cut him off. The door opened and Dio stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “Ramesses asked us to locate the King for him.”

“Not a problem,” Ail’mer assured him.

“Did you find him?” Ramesses asked.

Dio nodded. “He wasn’t that hard to find. He just finished breakfast and is in the throne room seeing to official matters of the kingdom. Yolanda is still with him so Ilene volunteered to stick around and keep an eye on things.”

“Perfect,” Ramesses said and stood up. He straightened his clothes, gave Ail’mer a quick kiss on the cheek, and started to follow Dio out of the room. “I know you have more work to do today, but would you be able to do a little more research in the library while I try and figure out what’s going on? I still don’t trust Psusen to not have done this as a diversion to keep us from looking through the history books even more.”

“I will do my best. Try not to do anything too rash, Little One,” Ail’mer said with a nod.

“Thank you, love. I’ll be back when I can.”


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ramesses starts to get to the bottom of what's going on around the palace.

**Chapter 9:**

Everything in the throne room was business as usual when Ramesses and Dio came in. Guards in their usual positions at each entrance standing at attention. The occasional servant doing their best to remain invisible while keeping the place neat and tidy. The sun shone in through the windows, the curtains having been tied back to let in the light. Everything looked so normal while his world was starting to unravel. It just didn’t seem fair.

Ramesses’s eyes locked onto the raised dais as he peeked around the curved edge of a pillar to get a better look at the scene before him. Yolanda was seated in her own chair, eerily similar to Kicha’s own, and placed right next to the king on his platform. Kicha was talking to one of his dignitaries and Yolanda was leaning so she could half rest on his arm. Just the sight alone made his blood run hot.

It wasn’t that he was jealous. Not exactly anyway. It was hard to rationalize being jealous when before all of this Ramesses had been a courtesan. The physical requirements of that job sort of came with the territory. Quite literally in some cases. If Kicha had been upset with him being close to people when they had actually started dating it would never have worked out in the first place.

But having sex for money and letting strangers drape themselves over you was  _ a lot _ different than being a King and letting an ex do the same. An ex that Kicha had made it clear he had no interest in previously. What made it worse was that no one seemed even remotely interested in the woman that had planted herself in the middle of everything.

Ramesses tore his eyes away from what was going on on the throne to look for Ilene. The guards currently around Kicha were people he didn’t fully recognize. That didn’t sit well with him either. But Dio had said he had left Ilene here and he wanted to talk to her. After a second glance around the barely crowded room, he caught sight of her hair on the other side of the room tucked away in a corner. Keeping out of sight seemed to be the theme of the morning.

There wasn’t a clear way to get her attention and strolling across the room to a dark corner was the most obvious thing in the world when looking like him. He wanted to talk to Yolanda alone and acting strange beforehand wasn’t going to help him if there was something weird going on.

Oh, who was he kidding? Something weird was already going on. He just didn’t want to make it worse. Not yet anyway.

“So what’s the plan, boss?” Dio whispered behind him.

Ramesses drew back so they were both hidden behind the pillar, cutting off his view of his targets for the time being.

“I’m not too sure yet,” Ramesses confessed.

On the way here he had been trying to think of a way to get the two of them apart, but he hadn’t been able to come up with much that would work on Yolanda. On a normal day getting Kicha to brush off his duties to come spend time with him would be easier than breathing. But he didn’t need to get Kicha alone, he needed Yolanda. And he knew nothing about her and had zero interest in dating her, which didn’t leave him many options.

“We could just walk up there and ask to show her around.”

“Kicha already gave her a tour though,” Ramesses said.

“Not of the butterfly gardens. Even with whatever’s messing with his head he’s been avoiding that place like the plague,” Dio offered.

“Really?” Ramesses asked and glanced back around the pillar. That was actually a good sign. Kicha’s hatred for insects was overpowering whatever was going on with him. And it was nice to know that Yolanda hadn’t been able to get him to go somewhere even Ramesses hadn’t been able to talk him into. Small victories. “Butterflies it is then.”

With the bare bones of a plan in place, Ramesses took a deep breath and started up to the throne. He got about halfway there when he started to get worried about if this whole thing would work. How should he act? Just play it off like nothing was wrong and greet Kicha like he normally would with a kiss or see if his love picked up on how awkward this all felt?

No. If any of this was going to work then he had to keep going like nothing was wrong. Until he knew otherwise it was better to keep Psusen and Yolanda thinking that this wasn’t getting to him. Fake it until you make it applied very well in this case.

Thankfully, he had perfected the art of faking a smile a decade ago. Only two people had been able to see through it over the years: Zahre and Kicha. Even Ail’mer couldn’t always tell when something was bothering him and he wanted to keep it a secret. 

With a perfect fake smile in place and Dio trying to look as innocent and stoic behind him, Ramesses walked up to the throne as carefree as could be. Nothing was wrong. No one was trying to screw with his happiness and everything would work out fine. Right?

“Morning, Love,” Ramesses said, purposely ignoring Yolanda and planting himself on the arm of the chair opposite her. “I missed you at breakfast this morning. Why did you get pulled away?”

He did his best to pout at the end. The sad eyes and pushed out bottom lip. He even went the extra mile and pushed some of Kicha’s hair back from his face. The crown would have made it awkward had he not done this dozens of times by now. It all felt a little too much, but it worked nonetheless. 

Kicha smiled and leaned in for the kiss he knew was waiting for him. When he pulled away Ramesses could have sworn his eyes looked clearer. There was a crease in his brow like he was trying to work through something in his head.

“Missed breakfast?” Kicha questioned. “I could have sworn… No, you weren’t there.” He frowned and opened his mouth to say something else but was stopped.

Ramesses glanced to the side. Yolanda had placed her hand gently on Kicha’s arm drawing his attention back to her.

“My apologies. I got carried away arriving so early this morning. It hadn’t crossed my mind that you two would have meals together,” she said. Her voice was so sweet it could make your teeth rot.

_ Liar _ .

It was a struggle to keep a pleasant smile on his face. There was no way she hadn’t thought showing up so early would be a problem. No one was that dense. And the way she had effectively silenced Kicha by just resting her hand on his arm did not feel right. He had been going to say something and then the words died in his throat.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. It was just a surprise is all,” Ramesses said, his gaze turning back over to Kicha. The King was watching the two of them talk but his eyes had lost that focus they had after their kiss. Like a child tuning out a conversation they didn’t care for. “But now that I have you both I was wondering if I could borrow Miss Yolanda for a bit.”

It was her turn to frown and look confused.

“Borrow me?”

“Yes,” Ramesses said. He turned his full attention back to Kicha. The arm that had been wrapped around his waist had started to pull away. Ramesses didn’t want to find out what would happen if he pulled away entirely. His intuition was saying it wouldn’t go well.

He mirrored Kicha on the same side, putting his own arm around his shoulders and letting his fingers twirl the other man’s hair. He rested his other hand on Kicha’s chest. The cloth was soft under his fingers.

“I know Kicha has been giving you the grand tour of the place, but there’s one garden he tends to avoid at all costs that I know you would hate to miss.”

“I thought we had toured all the gardens?”

Ramesses shook his head. “You have missed out on the Butterfly Gardens. They aren’t that big and in the back of the Flower Gardens. Our King avoids them due to his hatred of all things insect.”

Kicha made a noise of disgust and did not look too happy when Ramesses looked over at him. It was such a normal response from him that he couldn’t help but smile honestly.

“I’d forgotten about that one,” Kicha said.

“Forgotten or purposely avoided?” Ramesses teased. “It’s alright. I will show Yolanda the horrible creatures while you do whatever it is you have to do today. Maybe we can all have lunch together if you are not pulled away to a meeting.”

“I would like that.”

“Miss Yolanda?” Ramesses asked, his attention now on her.

She had removed her hand from Kicha’s arm and was glancing between the two of them. She looked like she wanted to argue, but there wasn’t much to argue against.

“Very well.”

“Excellent,” Ramesses beamed. He gave Kicha another quick kiss that caught the King off guard and hopped off the arm of the chair.

Yolanda yelped as he grabbed her wrist to pull her along after him. He could have waited for her to get up on her own, but he wanted her away from Kicha as quickly as possible. Besides this kept up the illusion that he was actually excited to spend time with this random woman that was trying to worm her way into his relationship.

The two of them hurried out of the throne room and into the hall with Dio trailing behind. Once they had crossed through the doorway Ramesses slowed down and let go of Yolanda’s wrist.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away there. Are you alright?” Ramesses asked. No harm in being polite until the other shoe dropped.

Yolanda’s face was flushed from just the short run. Tiny wisps of hair were starting to escape from her loosely braided hair and her earrings were still swinging back and forth. She took a moment to catch her breath, which Ramesses thought was a bit much seeing as they hadn’t even gone that far.

“I will be fine as long as we walk the rest of the way. I had not planned on running anywhere today,” she responded, adjusting the skirt of her dress and composing herself. “Shall we?”

“With pleasure.”

The three of them walked for a bit in silence. It was hard to keep the awkward feel of it all out of the air. It wasn’t like they were friends. The two of them were romantic rivals if anything. And add the obvious magic involved and it just made things worse.

What did you say to the person trying to steal the love of your life? Sorry, you can’t have him because I think one or both of you are being magically compelled against your will. Somehow he didn’t think that would go over too well.

For the first time in his life, Ramesses didn’t know how to talk his way through this mess. With only the vaguest of ideas of what was going on he didn’t want to risk ruining everything by saying the wrong thing.

But if they kept walking in awkward silence like this he wasn’t going to learn anything.

He opened his mouth to at least fill the air with something when Yolanda beat him to the punch.

“Is this where you interrogate me for reclaiming my engagement?”

It was such a straightforward question that he almost tripped.

How was he supposed to respond to that? Any lie would be too obvious. The truth probably wouldn’t help and it sounded absurd if she really was under a spell. Ramesses settled on a little bit of both.

“I would not necessarily call it reclaiming an engagement. I have yet to see a ring on any of your fingers. I was hoping for an honest conversation as opposed to an interrogation.”

“Very well,” she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. “Are we actually going to a butterfly garden or was that a lie to get me away from the King?”

Ramesses couldn’t help it. He laughed.

“We are actually going to a garden. I wasn’t lying when I said Kicha hates insects. Even just the thought of them gives him goosebumps.”

Yolanda nodded.

“And the guard following us?”

“Dio is here to keep us from killing each other.”

He was only half-serious. Ramesses wasn’t one for violence so if something did happen it wasn’t going to come from his end of the situation.

She nodded again. He did manage to catch a ghost of a smile pass across her face though.

The butterfly gardens were small, but that didn’t make them any less beautiful. It was a tiny glass room no bigger than a common bedroom. The floor was mostly packed earth with a broken stone path leading to the only place to sit; an iron bench pushed to the back of the space. Flowers of every color filled the room creating a dazzling kaleidoscope that was only enhanced by the dozens of winged insects fluttering around. It was as if for every flower there was a butterfly with a color to match. The garden had tended recently. Small droplets of water shimmered in the light coming through the clear glass.

Yolanda made herself comfortable on the bench. Her back straight, legs crossed and her hands neatly folded atop her knees. As far as Ramesses was concerned it didn’t look all that comfortable.

He took a seat next to her. The bench was only made for two so Dio stayed by the entrance like a good little guard. Ramesses made himself much more comfortable, leaning back against his corner of the bench with his legs crossed in a more relaxed fashion than his companion.

“Now about this honest conversation?” Yolanda asked, brow arched.

“Oh, I apologize. Do you not like the garden? You looked like you loved nature yesterday,” Ramesses said. He couldn’t keep the unpleasant tone out of his voice. No, that he had tried too hard to begin with.

That got Yolanda to actually look around the room. She had made a beeline for the bench as soon as they had walked through the door. Ramesses watched as she took in plants and gently fluttering butterflies. Something in her face softened as she gazed around the garden. Instead of neatly arranged plots of flowers, the plants here had been scattered in a way that made it look natural and planned at the same time. As if a mixed bag of seeds had been thrown around without a care as to where they would land.

Yolanda held out her hand as an Emperor butterfly flew past. The insect circled around the two of them and landed on the tip of her finger and Ramesses caught a genuine smile creep across her lips. It didn’t stay long, flying away a moment later. By the time she turned back to face him the smile was gone and her mask of superiority was firmly in place.

It was so quick that he would have thought the smile had been his imagination if he hadn’t been so sure of seeing it.

“You’re right. This place is lovely. It is hard to imagine his Majesty avoiding such a treasure,” she said.

Ramesses shrugged. “Irrational fears rarely make sense.” He paused. It was about time they tried to have this  _ honest conversation _ . “Strange how you knew nothing about it and are trying to cash in on failed engagement.”

“It didn’t fail on my end. He’s the one that ruined it by running off with that homicidal cousin of his.”

It was hard to argue with that, but he tried anyway.

“Your family called it off though. If you really wanted to be married to him I would think you would try to keep the affair going despite the risks.”

“Oh, like he kept the affair with you going on during our arrangement?”

Well. She certainly had him there. In his defense, Kicha hadn’t mentioned any sort of arranged marriage until Yolanda had walked through the door. But if he was being honest, even if he  _ had _ known about it beforehand it wouldn’t have changed much. He had already fallen for Kicha on day one. The realization didn’t make him feel too good, but it was the truth.

Even with that thought, he wanted to get defensive, but she was right. And if he was going to learn anything about what was really going on he needed to be willing to hear the things he didn’t want to hear.

“I will give you that. I am a little confused about what exactly the arrangement between the two of you meant. Obviously the end result was a marriage of wealth, but what about before that?”

“Well,” Yolanda said, shifting positions on the bench. Apparently the stiff posture she had been holding wasn’t that comfortable anyway. “Our parents decided on the match shortly after the two of us were born. It’s something we’ve always known about.”

“That I understood, but if you were expected to get married did you ever go on dates with each other? Spend time together? Or was it a meet you at the altar type situation?” He had the feeling he knew what the answer was going to be. If she had never been mentioned before now then they probably hadn’t seen much of one another. Why risk them hating each other if the match was made for wealth and not love. It just made him sad.

“A bit of both. The only time I ever saw him was whenever our families vacationed together. And even then we were never actually alone.”

“That sounds terribly sad.”

Yolanda shrugged. “It was to be expected. Just like how I was never allowed to date because I was promised to someone else, but Kicha was to be the experienced one. I’m sure he’s told you about his numerous paid companions.”

Ramesses’s eyebrows rose. She didn’t know he was one of those paid companions at the start of their relationship. That was interesting. Not that it was common knowledge or anything. Maybe it only made sense to him by going from a high-class courtesan to the consort to the King. They were kind of the same thing. Right?

It did make him wonder what she did know about him though. Or at the very least what she thought she knew.

“I’ve heard stories, yes,” he replied. “Forgive me for asking but, did any of that bother you? Other than the obvious double standard at play. You don’t appear to be too heartbroken about the whole ordeal.”

She opened her mouth to speak but stopped mid-sentence. Ramesses could have sworn he watched her eyes brighten for a moment and a smile start to tug at the curve of her lips. But as soon as it appeared it was gone. Replaced by a look of utter confusion.

“I forgot what I was going to say. What did you ask again?” Yolanda asked.

Ramesses glanced over to Dio where he was stationed by the door.  _ Did that just happen or was I imagining it? _ The guard’s eyes flickered over to Yolanda and then back to Ramesses with an expression that was just as confused as he was. Good to know that if it was a hallucination that they had both suffered from it.

“I had asked whether or not calling off the engagement initially had caused you heartache. I do not want to presume anything, but it took you some time to come back to claim your  _ prize _ ,” Ramesses said in a slow and gentle voice.

There it was again. One second her eyes held this light in them like there was more than just the formal, proper woman sitting next to him, and the next it was gone. The momentary loss of focus didn’t stop her from answering at least part of his question though.

“We hadn’t expected him to come back to the city after how he left. My parents were on holiday when you both returned and he was crowned King. I didn’t even know about it until Lord Briarwood came to visit.”

There was a lot to unpack in that answer and Ramesses wasn’t too sure where to begin. Something was definitely off about Yolanda. He just needed to push a little more to see if it was similar to what was going on with Kicha. Then he could find out how to fix it. Hopefully.

“He came to visit your house or did he come find you all on holiday?” he asked carefully.

“Oh, my parents went without me. I was at home with…” she paused, frowning like she was having trouble remembering something. “With someone. Their name escapes me for the moment, but I know I wasn’t alone.”

Ramesses nodded as if this made perfect sense. Internally he was trying not to yell. Whatever was going on was messing with Kicha and Yolanda’s heads. There were too many memory gaps between the two of them to be anything short of a coincidence. It was linked somehow and he was betting it was all tied to Psusen. The only trouble was getting the man to admit it and then finding out how to fix it before these two ended up married against their wills.


End file.
